


1 year/ 12 month/ 53 weeks/ 366 days

by Domlicious



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Baekisagenius, ChanBaek - Freeform, Chanyeoldrawswebtoons, Fluff, M/M, OT9 (EXO), Oh Sehun is a Little Shit, Romance, Toben hates Chanyeol, destiny works in funny ways, maybeabitfunny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 37,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25829353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Domlicious/pseuds/Domlicious
Summary: Young, good looking and gifted. Problem? Byun Baekhyun spends more time with the dead than with the living. His job is everything for him. A chance encounter with Park Chanyeol makes him stumble. How often do you have to meet by chance until you fall in love?
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 19
Kudos: 27





	1. Fuck you soju and Oh Sehun

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language. Please bear with me.  
> I would love to get some feedback. Please leave me some comments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is crosspostet of AFF

"It's New Year's Eve, man. You can't want to sit in your basement and mess around with your ‘patients’. You are 27, Hyung. Don't act like a middle-aged man. Live!"

With a raised eyebrow, the young doctor nodded his head to the mortuary fridges. "Don't be so loud, otherwise they will be offended."

"Hyuuuung, it's not funny of you to talk with the dead like that. You spend far too much time with them."

"This is my job, Sehunnie," sighed the doctor, taking off his medical disposable gloves and throwing them into the trash can. “I love my job. And you obviously love it, too. Otherwise you wouldn’t always be so curious about who I have on the table and you wouldn’t come to visit me all the time."

"Baek, if I didn’t do that, you wouldn't see any living people at all," Sehun sighed and heaved himself onto the dissection table.

"That’s not true," Baekhyun pouted. “Sometimes I have to go to the crime scenes and talk to the investigators. I can still very well distinguish the living from the dead. It’s just satisfying to me when I find the cause of death and can help solve a case because of that."

"Definitely more so than Jeri ever was," Sehun murmured.

"She left me, not the other way around," Baekhyun growled and stroked his pink hair which immediately fell back on his forehead. A haircut was definitely due again soon but that would take time and time was something he didn’t have much of.

"Are you surprised? How many times did you seen each other in the 11 months you were officially together?” The younger of the two casually dangled his legs back and forth.

"Once or twice a week," he murmured. “But that's what my job entails. I have to be flexible. Death does not ask about my schedule. And I just have to prove myself. Everyone who hears that I'm only 27 thinks I'm an amateur or a fraud.”

“Sure, because a normal person would have to study at least 11 years for this job. Not everyone can be a child prodigy with a fucking IQ of 170 and power through this degree in 6 years. If I hadn't known you all my life, I would also be sceptical. But you've been proving yourself for a year. Treat yourself to this break. A new year is beginning. A new life. Forget about Jeri. You were only with her because she is the daughter of your boss. And did he kick you out even though you broke up with her? No!"

The smaller of the two sighed softly and Sehun started to grin. He could see his best friend's wall starting to crumble. It wouldn’t take much more, and he knew all too well how to tear down the rest. So, he demonstratively pushed his lower lip into a pout and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Hyung, please ... for me. And Minseok would also be very happy. Yixing and Jongdae will also be there. Let's celebrate, just a bit … like in the good old days before you became this grandpa.”

Dark brown eyes glared at him before he was kicked on one of his shins. “You could have saved yourself the ‘grandpa’, you brat. Minseok is still the oldest of us. Just like Yixing. So why am I the grandpa here?"

"Because those two are cool. Minseok has a restaurant and Yixing has a club.”

"You mean a brothel."

"Strip bar. No brothel,” Sehun corrected the doctor. "And the girls don't even get naked, really. You should know that, you were there with us."

"A thousand years ago," grumbled Baekhyun, taking off his coat.

"When you were still cool, Grandpa." Sehun’s laughter echoed loudly off the bare walls of the room.

"I'm cool, I have pink hair. Like an idol.” Baekhyun tousled his hair with one hand for emphasis.

"You are strange, Hyung."

"Strangely cool."

"No, just strange."

"Why again am I friends with you?"

"Because sometimes you need someone to disagree with you," Sehun smiled broadly. "And who pulls you out of here and back to the living. So, are you coming with me?"

Baekhyun sighed and put his hands on his hips. "Yes, okay, but I'll take my beeper with me in case of an emergency."

"Your emergencies are already dead, so it doesn't matter if you come a little later."

“Everything has to go quickly in the event of a murder. A whole team of investigators is waiting for the results of my examinations and ... "

"It's okay," Sehun interrupted. “Today there will be no more talk about corpses. Remember that if you want to get laid, and dear God, you really need it again. Maybe choose a man this time. Women are more likely to have a problem with you talking to corpses as if they were your best friends. Or better yet, just don't mention it at all. Just say you're a doctor. A god in white. A lifesaver, blablabla.” The younger man rolled his eyes dramatically.

"A man?" Baekhyun thought out loud.

"You said that in high school. Being a little bit bi never hurt anyone. But first take a shower. You smell of antiseptics and ... death."

*

"Come with people, he said. It's going to be fun, he said. You'll have more fun than with the dead, he said. Don't worry, we're just a small group, he said. Pffff, my ass, Oh Sehun,” Baekhyun grumbled as he was squeezed between two couples on the couch who couldn't move their make out sessions into their own four walls, and sipped his second beer bottle. It wasn't that he had a problem with the public display of affection, but if you were single, it was the last thing you wanted to see right then. Maybe he was a bit envious. Not because any of those people were his type - because they weren't – but because he liked to be hugged. And he loved kisses. Tender, playful, gentle, passionate, fierce. It didn’t matter as long as the kissing partner was good at it. His last girlfriends were rather boringly average at that. Maybe Sehun was right and he should go back to his roots. Men were more his thing. The problem was just that he knew most of the men at the party and he wouldn't even want to flirt with them. The rest were taken or, in his eyes, not attractive enough.

With an annoyed groan, he squeezed himself out of between the PDA (public display of affection) pliers aka the kissing couples [BC1] and swayed slightly towards the kitchen. Fortunately, Minseoks apartment wasn't as big as Yixings, but it was still big enough to accommodate a good 50 people without having to pile them up.

When he arrived in the kitchen, the young doctor discovered two of his best friends. He had met Jongdae, a promising cosmetic surgeon, during his studies. Like all doctors, they first had to go through general medicine before specializing. While Baekhyun had been able to skip a few years thanks to his above-average intelligence, Jongdae had taken the normal course of studies and still had two years to go. Then he also had to go to the military while Baekhyun had done that before he had started studying. So, he had begun his studies at almost 20, was already a forensic doctor at the age of 26 and held the M.D., the embodiment of a success story. The sad side effect, however, was that he really had very little time with his friends, let alone time for a relationship. So far, no one had managed to pique his interest enough to make him want to spend his free time with them.

Next to Jongdae, Yixing was leaning against the kitchenette with his shirt half unbuttoned. They were talking about politics excitedly while Baekhyun toasted them with the empty beer bottle, only to then put it in the crate next to the other empty bottles.

"What a rare face to see at a party," laughed Yixing. "Didn't think Sehun would be able to lure you out of your basement."

Bored, Baekhyun shrugged and opened the fridge to get another beer. His eyes scanned the selection before deciding on a bottle of Cass Light.

"Wow, your choice of drinks is very Grandpa, too," Sehun suddenly laughed in his ear and reached over his shoulder to get a bottle of Kloud beer from the fridge.

"Shut up, Oh Sehun!" Baekhyun growled. "Not everyone is a drunkard like you."

"I am a prospective lawyer. With these kinds of dry studies you have to get drunk to at least have some fun,” his best friend countered.

"Wow, we're such an elite here," laughed Jongdae and clinked glasses with Sehun.

"Elite? Yixing has a brothel,” Baekhyun murmured and sipped his light beer.

“Strip club, please. I'm not selling sex, just fantasies,” corrected the oldest member of the group.

"Are you sure you're not from the Chinese mafia?" Baekhyun joked.

"Don't know, ask one of your investigator friends," the Chinese winked cheekily at him.

"I only know some of the homicide squad," he shrugged and dug his beeper out of his pocket to hold it under Yixing’s nose. "And look, not even they have anything to do today. No emergency for me. Not a body. Nothing. Nada. How boooooring."

When Yixing started laughing and stroking through his pink hair, Baekhyun put the beeper back in his pocket with a pout.

"Really, Byun, you're so cute when you're drunk. Why are you single? “, the Chinese smiled softly. "If I were into men, you would be my first choice."

"Oh my god, I can give you a few reasons why he's single," Sehun blurted.

"Yes, and nobody wants to hear them," Baekhyun cried, covering the Maknaes mouth.

"Hey, is the party taking place here in the kitchen?", someone suddenly asked, sticking his head through the hatch that connected the kitchen to the living room, and all four stared at the "newcomer".

While Baekhyun's friends all gathered quickly and talked wildly, he could not take his eyes off the stranger, who was now casually leaning on the hatch with his elbows on the windowsill and talking to his friends. He had never seen this man before, but he had to be a friend or at least an acquaintance of Minseok. Why else would he be at his New Year's Eve party?

The stranger's ears were anatomically abnormal in size, but he also looked anatomically abnormally hot. The black hair was cut short, which was probably why his ears looked so huge. Baekhyun had big ears himself, but at least they weren't as Yoda-like as the stranger’s. But somehow that was what made him charming. As if in a trance, Baekhyun fingered his right ear as he continued to study him. After all, he had a good eye for anatomy. Large, broad shoulders and remarkable biceps stretching under the narrow top. Sexy, he thought to himself, and licked his upper lip before taking a sip from his pitiful Light beer bottle. At least pitiful for those who were alcohol tolerant, unlike himself. Instead of high alcohol tolerance, he had a high IQ. Sometimes he wished he had both. But his high IQ didn't prevent him from stupidly taking every soju shot Sehun gave him with a thieving grin.

Since Baekhyun not only knew anatomy, but also liked to look at beautiful things, he admired the stranger's face. Even if his vision had worsened somewhat after five soju glasses, he had to acknowledge that he had never seen such a symmetrical face. That face was art and not the abstract kind. Big, attentive, dark brown, almond-shaped eyes, straight nose, full lips, a side profile that brings you to your knees, damned white teeth, oh ... so many white teeth when he laughed. Was he a god? An alien? An ... an idol?

"Who is that?" Baekhyun finally asked when the stranger waved his hand and disappeared back into the crowd of partygoers. Probably to his own group of friends.

"I don't know, but he's funny," Sehun shrugged.

"Chanyeol," Jongdae replied. "He is a friend of Minseok. Two years ago, he worked as a waiter for him while he was studying.”

"Why have I never seen him before?" Shocked and stunned, Baekhyun stared at his friend.

"He was in the military. I think he's only been back for two or three weeks now,” said Jongdae, a little more clearly.

Baekhyun reached for the next glass of soju and tipped it down. "He is hot. I want him to fuck me so that I can't walk for a week."

Sehun literally spat the soju he'd just downed over the kitchen countertop. "TMI, TMI, TMI! Hyung, you don't even know him."

"You usually don't know a one-night stand beforehand," Baekhyun waved him off and indicated to Sehun that he should pour him another glass, which was taken away from him by Yixing.

"I think you should take a break, Baek."

"Nooohoooo," he whined. "Give it back. I need it now before I go on the prowl."

"You are not a hunter," sighed Jongdae.

"No, forensic scientist, but I won't dissect him."

"Maybe he's straight, Hyung," Sehun tried to slow him down.

"I teach him how being a little bi never hurt anyone. I can do it. Just watch!”

"Please don’t," the three friends groaned. Yixing took pity on him and returned the glass. "Just don't throw up on his shoes. He wears Balenciagas."

"Those are ugly shoes," commented Baekhyun.

"You wear them yourself," laughed Jongdae.

"I can still find them ugly."

"Just don't throw up on them. The best thing is not to throw up at all,” sighed Yixing.

"I'll try my best," he said. "Sehunnie, give me my Grandpa beer."

"At your command, Hyung," Sehun laughed and handed his friend a fresh Cass.

"He'll regret that," Jongdae muttered.

"Yeah, no doubt," Yixing agreed.

"But we'll have fun with it," giggled Sehun.

"You are so ruthless, Sehunnie," Jongdae smiled.

"I learned from the master himself," he smiled back and toasted at him.

"Ahhhhh Chanyori, how does it feel to be free again?" The tall black-haired man let his somewhat smaller friend hug him and pat him on the shoulder.

"Good, Jongin. Finally, I can let my hair grow and dye it again. I just don't like that short hair,” laughed the ex-soldier and stroked through it, so that his fringe was slightly standing on end.

"Don't be silly, with that pretty face you can wear any hairstyle," said Minseok, the host of the party.

"If your ears bother you, just put on a hat," Chanyeols best friend Kyungsoo soberly summed up the real problem.

"Ah no, they are a part of him and his trademark. I'm so proud of you for not chasing after beauty ideals and getting a surgery,” Jongin whispered, playing with Chanyeols left ear.

"Stop playing around or they'll get bigger," Chanyeol grumbled, slapping his friend’s hand away.

"And do you already have a job?" asked Junmyeon, who was the son of Korea's largest publisher. "If you want, I can put in a good word for you."

Chanyeol shook his head and took the glass of whiskey that Minseok held out to him. "I’m trying to work as a freelancer."

"Are you still set on drawing webtoons?" Jongin asked. "You could do so much more with your art and graphic studies."

"But I love webtoons. I like to draw and it's fun," Chanyeol sighed. “LINE offered me to draw for their webtoon platform. The starting salary would be 2,350,000 won. Not much, but there is no upper limit. I think I should accept the offer."

Kyungsoo shrugged. "If you want that, you should do it. After all, you are still young."

“Hyung is 27, two years older than me. Others are already married and have children."

"Jonginnie, not here in Korea," Minseok sighed. "I am 29, single and successful. Aaaaand I don't feel old. Don't listen to him, Chanyori."

"Anyway," Chanyeol murmured. "I’ll try my luck. Maybe 2020 will bring me a bit more luck than the past two years have.”

Kyungsoo looked at his watch and grabbed a glass of champagne. “It's midnight in five minutes. Let’s go outside on the terrace.”

The friends agreed, everyone took a glass and headed out into the cold December night. Just as Chanyeol was about to take a glass, he felt someone grabbing his arm.

"Yah, name Yoda-shii has?"

"Huh?" Surprised, Chanyeol turned and saw the cute pink-haired young man who had been staring at him in the kitchen earlier. "I beg your pardon?"

"What called Yoda-shii is asked I," he repeated drunkenly, pulling Chanyeol's ear lightly.

"Yo-yoda?" the ex-soldier stammered in surprise and took a small step back so that the drunk man had to stop playing around with his ear. His ears were very sensitive and the last thing he wanted was to get horny in front of the stranger. It had been way too long since his last sexual encounter. Damned soldier's life.

"Oh my fucking god, your real name is Yoda?" the stranger called, staring up at him with his eyes wide open as he was a head shorter than he was.

"What? No-no! My name is Chanyeol."

"Chanyeol," repeated the stranger, and the way he let the name roll off his tongue caused a certain lust in Chanyeol as the other man's mouth formed a pout when he spoke. How to pout and talk at the same time was a mystery to him, but it just looked terribly charming with the smaller one. "So Dae had been right. A soldier, huh?"

"Not anymore," Chanyeol breathed heavily. "Free for two weeks now," he tried to joke.

"You must have looked hot in a uniform." Chanyeol did not miss the fact that his counterpart was giggling slightly, but the compliment still made him blush.

"You're drunk," he smiled slightly, holding onto his upper arms as he swayed a little.

"No, I'm Baekhyun," he smiled back and Chanyeol was speechless. He had never seen a smile as charming as this. The pouting mouth formed a rectangle and the dark brown puppy eyes shaped into crescent moons. Fuck, did affection at first sight feel like that?

"Cute!" He giggled.

"What?" Confused, Baekhyun cocked his head.

"You're cute," Chanyeol laughed.

"No, I'm Baekhyun and hot," the smaller one grumbled, pulling Chanyeol down by his collar so that their faces were only a few millimetres apart.

"Okay, and what does the hot Baekhyun think he's doing here?" Chanyeols laughter slowly subsided and he stared at the slightly open mouth in front of him. He looked so damn inviting.

"Hoping to seduce you I am," breathed Baekhyun back in Yoda language, while the other guests were counting down the last seconds to the New Year on the terrace.

10

"Oh yes? Why is that?” Chanyeol whispered.

9

"Because you're hot. Your anatomy is very compatible with mine.”

8

"And that means?"

7

"You are tall and I’m not so tall."

6

"You mean small."

5

"No, you ass. I’m not small. You are just huge."

4

"You have a size kink," Chanyeol laughed.

3

"I have a lot of kinks."

2

"That makes me curious."

1

While everyone was shouting "Happy New Years" outside, Baekhyun pressed his lips to Chanyeols for a kiss. For a very short moment the taller man’s eyes widened in shock, but he let them close, quickly recovering, and returned the kiss. His arms found their way around Baekhyun's waist and pressed him closer to him as the smaller one wrapped his arms around his neck. Coy, close-mouthed kisses quickly became more demanding, open-mouthed kisses. As if rehearsed for years, their lips moved completely in sync despite the fact that this was their first kiss. And damn it, Baekhyun was a good kisser.

Chanyeol turned slightly so that he could press Baekhyun against the wall. With a sigh, the pink-haired man pulled himself away from Chanyeols lips and stared at him with hooded eyes before plunging into the next kiss as if he was a starving man. When Chanyeols tongue conquered his mouth, Baekhyun groaned into his’. There was nothing hotter than being pressed and kissed against a wall until he was gasping for air.

Lots of alcohol and little oxygen was not a good combination. When Chanyeol kissed his jaw, he ran his hands over his upper arms and gasped a weak "Happy New Year" before everything went black around him.

***

The next morning when Baekhyun opened his eyes, two things shot through his head. At first there was the terrible pain, closely followed by the question of where he was. Groaning, he turned his head towards the light. Ah ... a window with an unfamiliar view, but still, it didn’t feel strange. Groaning again, he sat up and blinked against the relentless sunlight. Frustrated that he had let himself go like this, he massaged his temples. Once again, he had proven that he was at war with alcohol.

After his eyes got used to the brightness, he scanned the room. Everything was pretty white, tidy and almost sterile. No doubt he had to be in one of Minseok's guest rooms. But how he had ended up here was a mystery to him.

Despite a pounding headache, he tried to remember what had happened last night. Beer! Four of them. Was bearable. Soju! Indefinite number of shots. Definitely not bearable. Beer mixed with soju was a nightmare. At least for top class lightweight Baekhyun. His blurred memory of the previous evening was like a whirlwind of moments, and, right in the middle, a strange, symmetrical, pretty face popped up. Baekhyun gasped. Oh yes, there was something. That hot ex-soldier that he really wanted to seduce. But had it worked? Would he have been able to get a boner? Sex and alcohol were not compatible, either. He slowly looked down at himself to see if he was still wearing yesterday's clothes. He gasped again when he noticed that this was not the case. He was in a black t-shirt that was definitely two sizes too big for him and also definitely not Minseok’s. The restaurant owner was smaller than him, but a lot more trained and muscular. He hastily pulled the covers off his legs. He wasn’t wearing yesterday's jeans, either. His legs were bare. But he didn't have to see the boxers he was wearing to know that he hadn't actually had sex. His butt didn't hurt, so his wish to be fucked so that he couldn't walk for a week had not been granted. Maybe it was for the better as he would have liked to remember this man.

Just as he was about to swing his legs off the bed, the door opened a crack and a head carefully appeared through it. And it was no other head than that of the sexy ex-soldier. His worried expression changed to relief when he saw the pink haired man sitting on the bed. "Oh, you're awake. I was just about to see if you were still breathing.”

His deep, warm voice gave Baekhyun goose bumps. He quickly pulled the blanket back over his bare legs, so that he didn't notice. "What ... What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I’m living with Minseok until I find my own apartment. Before the military, I lived with my mother and in a dorm. I let you sleep in my bed."

Baekhyun's eyes darted to the other side of the bed, which looked unused.

"Don't worry, I slept on the couch," Chanyeol laughed and stepped into the room.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Baekhyun murmured ashamedly and rubbed his face wearily. "Did I puke on you?"

"No, you just fell asleep while kissing." Chanyeol smiled gently and leaned against the wardrobe.

Baekhyun's eyes widened in shock. "Damn ... oh god ... I think I have to apologize again. I'm really sorry. Soju is not my best friend."

"What are you sorry for?” Chanyeol grinned at him mischievously. “That you weren’t able to let me fuck you so you couldn't walk for a week?”

Baekhyun’s mouth fell open, his entire expression screaming in panic. This made Chanyeol laugh. "Sehun told me that was your plan. He's your best friend, isn't he? At least he helped me put you in bed."

"Oh Sehun must die," the young doctor moaned grumpily.

"Even if you hadn't fallen asleep, I wouldn't have gone beyond kissing. I hate one-night stands and I'm not the type for it. But at least you gave me an interesting start to the new year."

Baekhyun sighed and hung his head. How much more embarrassing could things be? One more reason to just surround yourself with the dead. "I am sorry. You have to think terribly of me."

Chanyeol looked silently at the bundle of misery in front of him before taking a few steps toward the bed. "No, I don’t. After all I kissed you back. I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't been impressed by you.”

Baekhyun raised his head and looked at him in surprise. "How did I impress you in my drunk state? I couldn't even walk straight anymore."

"You couldn't even stand straight," Chanyeol laughed and carefully sat down on the bed with him. "But you could speak Yoda-ish perfectly."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Hoping to seduce you I am," Chanyeol tried to trigger Baekhyun's memory, at which he grimaced with embarrassment.

"Please don't think I wanted to make fun of you. I find your ears really lovely."

"Lovely," Chanyeol laughed softly. "Nobody has ever called my ears that."

They looked at each other silently for a while, while Baekhyun chewed uncomfortably on his lower lip. His head was still pounding terribly, but at least he wasn't sick.

“I put towels in the bathroom for you if you want to take a shower. I can lend you one of my hoodies. Minseok is not there and since I am not good at cooking, I’ll invite you out to lunch,” Chanyeol interrupted the silence. "After all, it is already noon."

"That ... that's not necessary," stammered Baekhyun. "I've caused you enough trouble already."

"It's not a problem," said the taller man as he got up from the bed and winked at him. "I would also like to get to know you better. And that’s easier with food than with having sex."

Baekhyun's red complexion and his pink hair clashed terribly, but Chanyeol thought he was cute.

An hour later they were sitting in a Ramyeon restaurant not far from Minseok’s apartment because there was nothing better on cold days than a hot noodle soup with lots of vegetables and meat. And it was good for Baekhyun's hangover.

As they were eating, they talked about their friends, childhood, and college. Chanyeol was particularly impressed by the fact that he had a genius sitting across from him.

"I had always imagined such prodigies differently," he admitted before sipping some broth from the spoon.

"In what way? Are you disappointed with my appearance?” Baekhyun smiled, looking into his bowl. It was not the first time that he was underestimated because of this.

"No, not disappointed. How could I be? I just never thought that such a handsome man could be so intelligent. You always think geniuses wear horn-rimmed glasses and have no fashion sense. You, on the other hand, look like you're an idol from a teen magazine.”

"Because of the pink hair?" Baekhyun asked and looked up at Chanyeol again.

"Not necessarily," Chanyeol smiled sheepishly. "You just have a very beautiful face, a good figure and these skinnies look great on you. They emphasize your nice … uhm, body."

"Thank you," Baekhyun mumbled. "So, in short, you find my anatomy appealing."

"Very appealing," Chanyeol laughed softly and again this deep warm sound caused goose bumps on him. However, this time it was well hidden under Chanyeol's hoodie. "I never thought that good looks combined with high intelligence could be so sexy."

"Flatterer," Baekhyun murmured, watching his counterpart eat.

"Minseok mentioned that you are a doctor. That alone is a turn-on."

Baekhyun choked and coughed in his hand. The moment of confession had come.

"Uhm, yes," he mumbled behind his hand.

"You have very nice hands," Chanyeol said when he stared at them. "Surgeon?"

"No," Baekhyun breathed, putting chopsticks and spoon aside while Chanyeol continued to eat.

"Okay, what would I have to have to land on your treatment table?" he asked, carefree.

"You’d have to be dead," Baekhyun replied dryly.

Chanyeol stopped in midmotion and the noodles between his chopsticks paused a few millimetres from his open mouth. However, a few seconds later they splashed back into the broth and spread a few splashes on the table. He blinked in disbelief before closing his mouth and clearing his throat.

"I work in the Forensic Department of Medicine. So, I do post-mortems on corpses and find out the cause of death. I hope I will never have you on my table."

Chanyeol stared and stared and stared, unable to say a word. The longer he remained silent, the more uncomfortable Baekhyun felt. This was also not the first time he was scaring away a potential friend.

"It's okay if you don't want to have anything to do with me now. It would not be the first time. Not everyone can cope with knowing someone who sees terrible things and still likes to do his job,” said Baekhyun quickly, even if it really hurt him to screw it up this time.

Chanyeol quickly shook his head as if he had woken from a kind of trance. "NO!" It burst out so loudly that Baekhyun actually gave a slight start. "I ... I have no problem with that. You ... you don't kill them. You ... you are the one who brings certainty to the grieving and helps to solve cases. That ... that's impressive. You have to be very strong. I can't even see blood without fainting while you've probably seen the most terrible kinds death.”

"Are you serious?" asked Baekhyun in amazement. He had never gotten such a reaction from anyone he had just met.

"Absolutely! You're awesome, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol beamed suddenly. "I find it so exciting. You sure have a lot of stories to tell."

"Some," Baekhyun laughed softly and in relief.

"I want to hear every single one," Chanyeol said euphorically.

"Not today," Baekhyun shook his head, smiling. "We’re eating and I don't want to spoil our appetite."

His counterpart nodded his head in understanding. "There is some truth to that. But next time."

Baekhyun felt warmth spreading in his chest when he thought of a potential next time. But this euphoria was quickly destroyed by a beep from his pocket. Disappointment spread through him as he pulled his beeper out of his pants and looked at it. A fatality in Incheon. Not really the area in which he worked, but the legal doctor responsible was on vacation.

"You’re highly in demand, huh?" Chanyeol asked quietly and Baekhyun nodded.

“Dead body in Incheon. I have to go to the crime scene. Seems to be a murder. I'm sorry, Chanyeol."

"Hey, that's your job. Even if it sucks that the New Year is already so messed up.” Understandingly he took Baekhyun's hand and squeezed it lightly. "Go! I’ll pay. That would have been on me anyway."

"Thank you Chanyeol, thank you. Really ... thank you,” Baekhyun babbled as he jumped up and bowed to him a couple of times.

"Oh god, Baekhyun, stop it!" He laughed, embarrassed. "What for?"

"For everything. You are so kind and understanding.” The doctor hastily put on his winter jacket. "See you next time, Chanyeol."

"Hopefully see you soon," the ex-soldier called out as he looked after the pink-haired man. Only when Baekhyun was out of sight did he remember that they hadn't actually exchanged numbers and that the smaller was still wearing his hoodie.


	2. Between dirty laundry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter. I hope you like it. Please give me some feedback and kudos.

"I feel sorry for you, Hyung," Sehun sighed dramatically which got him nothing more than a raised eyebrow from Baekhyun in response. The young law student stared at his slightly older friend. "Did you hear me, Hyung?"

"Hmmhh," Baekhyun interrupted his humming and did the final stitches before appraising his work. A perfectly sewn Y. If he could sew his torn jeans as well as the bodies on his table, he wouldn't have to buy new ones all the time. "I don't know why you’re sorry for me, but I'm sorry for you, too."

"Because you don't have a Valentine's Day date. But why are you feeling sorry for me?"

"Oh," Baekhyun breathed in astonishment, covering the dead body with a cloth. "Today is Valentine's Day? Again? It seems to me as if it has only been a few weeks since I’d gone out with Jeri on that day.”

"No, it was a year ago you had your only real date. And you messed it up because you left her in the middle of the movie for one of your emergencies."

Baekhyun shrugged without much interest. “Valentine's Day is just marketing anyway. Who needs that? Totally unnecessary. Either I show my love to my partner every day, or I leave it."

"Such a romantic," moaned Sehun, rolling his eyes. "But you still haven't told me why you feel sorry for me. I'm fine, I have a great date later and the best thing is, I'm going to have sex again today. Unfortunately, you can't say the same."

"Oh, I'm sorry your IQ stopped at 100. But at least I think you're a bit smarter than Minseok’s friends said. This Kim Junmyeon compared your intelligence to that of a beluga whale."

Sehun stared at his best friend in indignation. "Beluga whales are very intelligent."

"They have an IQ of 90," Baekhyun replied dryly, pushing the body back into the fridge. "Really good for an animal, but rather sad for a human." With a sweet smile, he turned and cocked his head as Sehun stared at him with his mouth open. "Believe me, I'd rather not have a date on Valentine's Day than be compared to a beluga whale."

"How do you actually know this guy?" Sehun snapped at him.

“I happened to meet him at Minseok Hyung's restaurant when I was there last week. I didn't know you tried flirting with him on New Year’s Eve, though."

Sehun rolled his eyes. "Just because I was drunk. Had I been sober, I wouldn’t even have looked at him twice."

"Yeah, yeah ... whatever. I have to write my report. So get out of here and let me work."

"Your life is so sad," Sehun murmured, but followed his best friend's request and left the autopsy room.

Baekhyun watched him go and sighed softly. No, he wasn't sad. He didn't find his life sad, either. But he was lonely, he couldn't deny that. He had gotten used to loneliness, however. In order to not let the silence crush him, he turned the radio on and sat down at his desk to write down his results. An hour later he was on his way home. He wasn’t on call today. That meant that he could really relax and play a few levels at PUDG.

Heavily covered in layers of thick clothes, since February was still terribly cold, he took the elevator from his basement up to the ground floor.

"Oh, are you leaving, Doctor Byun?” As soon as he set foot in the reception area, he was swarmed by three nurses.

"As you can see," he replied shortly, trying to push past them. He really had no patience for that now. Since New Year's Eve, he couldn't imagine ever dating a woman again. It was not that he hadn’t tried. But after two one-night stands in January, he was certain that women couldn't give him what he was looking for and that he was definitely gay. Maybe this Chanyeol guy had put a spell on him, but since then he had had to think about him time and time again. And not just because he still had his hoodie. He would love to see him, but since they hadn't exchanged numbers, he didn't know if the other guy wanted to see him again. After all, Chanyeol hadn't asked for him any more than he had. They had a friend in common. Minseok! Baekhyun's excuse was that he just had a lot to do. January had always been a deadly month in crime history. And he was cowardly and was afraid to get a big fat no. So, he preferred have no idea what could have become of them.

"Do you have a Valentine’s date?"

He paused briefly and turned to the nurses with a smile. "Yes, I have." That was simply a lie. An appointment with the game console was not considered a date. But fuck it, it wasn’t their concern.

"Oh," breathed the nurse who had asked, and her smile collapsed. "Then have fun, Doctor Byun."

"You too, dears." With a fake smile, he waved to them and hurried out of the hospital.

*

Chanyeol frowned in frustration. He had been brooding over his drawing for hours, but no matter how many times he improved it, it could not satisfy him. But this had to be perfect. This drawing should become one of the main characters in his new webtoon. Pink hair, rectangular laughter, button nose, white doctor's coat. But something was wrong. When he looked at the picture, something was clearly wrong. The memory of the young doctor threatened to disappear completely. Desperately, Chanyeol clung to every scrap of memory and documented it.

After the unexpected meeting with Baekhyun on New Year's Eve, not only the prodigy had kissed him but also his muse at the same time.

On January 2, he had accepted Line's offer. As a freelancer, he would draw webtoons for them and they were thrilled with his idea. Of course, a BL story was always daring, but this scene also had a huge fan base. He just hoped that he could live up to the expectations, after all it was his official first BL story that he would be publishing.

In late January, he had moved into a small loft-like apartment in Hongdae. He loved this neighbourhood. It was fashion-conscious and trendy. The main principle there was self-realization. And if you got bored, you just went out and looked at one of the many street artists or chose one of the many bars where you could get stuck until early in the morning. In short, as an outgoing type of person, he felt very comfortable there.

His apartment was quite small. The kitchen was open to the living room and actually consisted of only a small worktop. If two people wanted to cook in it, it would be pretty tight. The dining area was even tinier. A small table with just two chairs. He only had those two and there was no room for more. When he got visitors, they would order pizza anyway and eat on the couch in front of the television. The only big table in his apartment he had pushed in front of the big window and used it as a workplace. His webtoons were created there, with the beautiful nightly view of the illuminated high-rise buildings in Seoul.

A wooden staircase, almost as steep as a ladder, led up to a gallery. There he had set up his bedroom. His bed was made of wooden pallets and a thick, comfortable mattress. He had stuffed his clothes into a chest of drawers and hung them on open clothes rails. Everything was very bachelorized. But he was one. A bachelor.

His black poodle was snoring between his feet, whom he had gotten back since he had his own four walls again. The little dog had lived with his mother for the past two years.

Seeing Toben so quiet was a rare occurrence, since he actually had more energy than his owner.

Chanyeol rested his head on his hand and looked out into the evening. The sun had almost set on Seoul, and you could literally watch it get darker by the minute. No wonder as it was mid-February. Anyone who thought it was still light after 6 p.m. at this time of the year had never lived in Asia. A thin orange streak in the sky behind the skyscrapers was the sun’s last greeting. It had actually been a nice day. A dream winter day. Sunny, dry and cold. But Chanyeol hadn't set foot out of his apartment. Since early noon, he had been working on his main character, with whom he still just wasn’t satisfied.

"I think I need a break," he murmured softly. "Time to do laundry."

Groaning, he got up and stretched extensively before strolling into the bathroom and collecting his dirty laundry. Since he didn't have a washing machine, he stuffed everything into a laundry bag. And since he didn't want to go to his parents in Gangnam, he decided to go to one of the laundromats nearby. It broke his heart to wake his peacefully sleeping dog, but he couldn't leave him alone for too long. Doing laundry took quite some time if you couldn't do it in your own apartment.

"Come Toben. You can go on sleeping in the salon.” To kill the time until his laundry was done, he packed up a book and his headphones. Wrapped up in his winter jacket, scarf and hat, he left the cozy warmth of his apartment.

Four laundromats and three blocks later, Chanyeol finally found a place where he was allowed to take his dog in with him. Had he known how unfriendly the owners of the salons were, he would have left Toben at home. Only the old lady in the fourth salon had no problem with him taking his dog with him into the warmth. He would never have tied up the little one in front of the salon so that he would freeze to death in the cold. In situations like this it really showed how heartless some people were.

Toben jumped onto one of the chairs and curled up to continue his nap from earlier. He was starting to wonder if his dog was sick. He had never seen him so calm and relaxed before. Chanyeol wasn’t sure if he should be worried. But for now, he wanted to use this peace and quiet to sort his laundry. Although there wasn't much to sort, as the majority of his closet was black or dark gray. So, he decided that the first batch should consist of underwear and socks. The faster he got the embarrassing part over with, the better. He would have to pay more to use several machines at the same time, so he preferred to spend time rather than money.

"No Valentine's Day date today?" asked the old lady from behind her counter. "You young people are always in relationships or dating, aren’t you?"

"No." He shook his head. "At the moment there is nobody I am interested in." That was a lie. Of course, Baekhyun was like a ghost in the back of his head. But he didn't know how she would react to a confession that he was attracted to a man. Besides, he didn't even know her. So, it was none of her business.

"Such a handsome young man?" she asked in amazement. "It’s hard to believe that no woman wants to spend the day with you."

"I have other things on my mind right now than women," he murmured and that wasn't even a lie. He had so much on his mind, but never a woman who wasn't his mother or sister. “I'm only two months out of the military, have a new job with deadlines and a new apartment. All of that is more important than a date.” As a sign that the conversation was over for him, he put on his headphones and switched on the music. Lost in thought, he looked out the window and surveyed the area. He had not been here today until now, after all, this salon was a good two kilometres away from his apartment. He almost patted himself on the back for walking all this way. Without Google Maps he would certainly not have found it.

Across from the laundromat was a 7/Eleven. Quite a big one, and he immediately thought of a few things he could get before going back home. But did he really want to carry his laundry and groceries home with him? Worst case scenario, Toben would suddenly awake from his lethargic state and be the pain in the ass dog that he normally was. So, he preferred to postpone the idea of going shopping until after he had brought the dog and the fresh laundry home. But noting down a shopping list couldn't hurt. The note option of his Samsung served wonderfully for that. First point: Ramyeon. Second point: Ssamjang paste. But the mild one, since he couldn't eat spicy food. Pondering what else he needed, he looked out of the window at the supermarket again, hoping he would think of more. Ah yes, third point: Baekhyun.

Wait! Baekhyun? Chanyeol looked up suddenly, and indeed. A pink shock of hair disappeared into the shop and his heart started to beat faster. He hastily pulled the headphones off his head. "Ajumma, can I leave my dog here for a minute? I just have to quickly go to 7/Eleven. I will be back immediately.”

The older lady nodded to him and that was like a start signal for him. Without putting his jacket on, he hurried over to the supermarket.

*

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Baekhyun murmured in a bad mood. Freshly showered, he had come out of the bathroom in cozy clothes to start his well-deserved weekend. A weekend that was supposed to consist of sleeping, eating and playing a lot. But this was messed up by a call from one of the commissioners. He had to find what kind of lubricant the perpetrator had used in the rape of the last victim as soon as possible. They had a suspect, but since a condom had been used during the rape, Baekhyun had only been able to detect residues of lubricant. Good bye free weekend. But if he got it over with as quickly as possible, he might have half a Saturday and Sunday to himself.

Thus, he exchanged the sweatpants for his black skinnies and made his way to the 7/Eleven to examine their selection of lubricants.

"What am I supposed to do with all this shit?" He muttered to himself. “Hopefully I'll get my money back for that. I could use it to equip Yixing's whole brothel. Why is it so expensive?"

"I’m not sure if I really want to know what you're up to with all of this."

Baekhyun looked up in shock and stared at Chanyeol, stunned.

When he said nothing, Chanyeol grinned sheepishly and stroked his hair. "Don't you recognize me? I never thought you would forget your New Year kissing buddie so quickly."

The young doctor opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. Of course he hadn't forgotten Chanyeol, only he didn't remember him with that much hair. He cleared his throat quietly to find his voice again. "Chanyeol ... wow ... your hair has become so long." His fingers were actually itching to brush through the thick strands of black hair, but he just about managed to pull himself together.

"Oh, you remember me," smiled the ex-soldier who didn't look like one at all.

"Of course," Baekhyun stammered.

"I wasn't so sure about that, after all there was no sign of life from you," Chanyeol shrugged uncertainly.

"You hadn't given any yourself," countered Baekhyun. He didn't want to be the only one at fault.

"I know I should have just asked Minseok Hyung for your number, but I didn't want to push myself on you and I was so busy with finding an apartment and my new job."

"That's fine. I didn't ask Minseok either. But not because I didn't want to see you again. I was more afraid of being rejected to be honest. After all, I’ve been pretty bold on New Year's Eve and… because of my job... it creeps more than some people out.” Embarrassed, he bit his lower lip.

"But I'm not some people. All I’ve said is the truth and I didn't just say it to make you feel better. I really meant it. And you don't even know how happy I am to see you here while you… erm…” He looked into the shopping basket and blushed. Baekhyun followed his gaze and suddenly he became aware of what his counterpart had to think of him. He got terribly hot and the colour of his face matched that of a brothels red lights. He already had the right contents in the basket.

"Th-th-that's not what it looks like," he stammered, embarrassed. "I need all of this for research purposes."

Chanyeols right eyebrow rose. "Seven different types? What are you researching? How smooth they are? What they smell and taste like? How wet they are?"

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "Don't make it weirder than it already is. No, I have to find out what kind of lube the perpetrator from my last case used. And I don't think I should actually give you this information. But since you are not on the list of suspects you should be fine."

"Oh, a rape victim?" Chanyeol murmured softly and Baekhyun nodded. "A twenty-year-old. Strangled and raped."

"Is it the one found in Itaewon? The newspaper reported about it."

"Exactly that," Baekhyun sighed. “Actually, I had a free weekend, but the investigators want to know as soon as possible which type matches my findings. I already know that there are more than these seven brands, but I didn't have the nerve to go to a sex shop or pharmacy now. I just hope that there is a direct hit among them."

"Then I'll keep my fingers crossed for you." For clarification, Chanyeol pumped both his fists in vitory.

"Thank you," Baekhyun laughed. "But what are you doing here? No Valentine's Day date?"

“Yes, with my dirty laundry in the laundromat across from 7/Eleven. I was just looking out the window when I saw you walk in here.”

Baekhyun's eyes widened. "Do you live around here?"

"No, not really. But I was not allowed to take my dog into any laundromat in my area. So, we walked three blocks."

"You have a dog?" Baekhyun suddenly looked so cheerful that Chanyeol let out a laugh.

"Yes, do you want to meet him?"

"May I?" The smaller one looked up at him so hopefully it made Chanyeols heart melt.

"Of course. Pay for your research materials and I'll buy something to eat. You can be my Valentine's Day date in between my dirty laundry."

“I've never been asked if I want to spend time with someone so romantically. But the food is on me this time,” Baekhyun winked at him.

Five minutes later, after having chosen chips, sandwiches and coke, Chanyeol returned to his laundry with his new “Valentine's Day Date”. The older lady at the counter looked at him sourly. "Your dog peed on the floor."

"What? Oh god, I'm so sorry. I ... I ... of course I’ll pay for the inconvenience," Chanyeol stammered in panic and took a bundle of notes out of his jeans pocket. He put ten thousand won on her counter before turning to scold his dog. But any kind of reprimand got stuck in his throat when he saw his crush crawling on the floor, his arms full of dog.

"This is your dog, Chanyeol-ah? For real? Oh god you're so cute. And cuddly. And so tiny. Why are you so tiny? Your owner is so big and you are so small. You can fit in his jacket pocket.” Baekhyun scratched Toben behind his ears and laughed out loud when the little poodle threw himself on his back and showed him his tummy. An obvious request to scratch it. With crescent-shaped eyes, Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol and in that moment he knew what was wrong with his drawing. How could he have forgotten this? Baekhyun's eyes. His absolutely adorable eye smile. The warm brown. The radiance. The depth. That puppy look. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! He didn't have time to fall in love. He had resigned himself to the fact that Baekhyun was his crush, but he hadn't signed up for falling in love. Growing feelings for someone who was married to their job and saw sex as a casual matter was not suitable for his healing heart. But he knew how quickly he could become attached.

"Chanyeol? Everything okay? You seem absent."

Baekhyun's worried tone brought him back to reality and he quickly rubbed his eyes, but still careful not to move the contact lenses. "Yes ... yes, sorry. What did you ask?"

"I wanted to know what the little boy's name is," the young doctor replied sceptically, since he was not yet completely convinced.

"Toben, Toben like Beethoven," replied the artist quickly.

"Ah, a classical music fan," Baekhyun murmured.

"Rather just a music fan. But my mother likes Beethoven and I can play the Moonlight Sonata and Für Elise on piano.”

"Wow," breathed Baekhyun, straightening up again, which Toben acknowledged with an insulted yapping. "To be honest, that impresses me."

"Really?" beamed Chanyeol. "Would you still be impressed if I said that I had a whole collection of Studio Ghibli songs in my repertoire?"

"Yes, pretty much," he smiled. "Can you also play A Town with an Ocean View?"

Chanyeol winked at him. "Of course. What do you think of Princess Mononoke?"

"It's a classic," beamed Baekhyun, sitting in one of the plastic chairs, while Chanyeol threw the first finished load in the dryer and took care of the second, consisting of pullovers, hoodies, and jeans.

"For the two years I studied in Japan I was addicted to Studio Ghibli films and visited the studio three times," laughed Chanyeol.

"Oh!" breathed Baekhyun and took off his thick winter jacket because it was getting too warm in the salon. Apart from the two there were a few others who probably also didn't have dates for Valentine's Day. Why else would you voluntarily spend the day in a laundromat? Okay, he would, but only because the company was very nice. He wouldn't have pushed his PUDG back for anyone else at the moment. Actually, he should be in the hospital and analyse the types of lubricant. But he found it more exciting to analyse the man in front of him. Or, to put it another way, to get to know him better. "You studied in Japan? You didn't mention that last time."

Chanyeol smiled and turned to the smaller one. "We also talked more about you then."

"I'm sorry," Baekhyun mumbled, biting his lower lip embarrassedly. "If I like someone, I can talk to them all day. If I talk too much, you just have to tell me. I can be very good in silence and especially in listening, too.”

"Hey, everything’s fine, Hyung. I enjoyed listening to you and I will continue to do so. Why are you suddenly so red?” Chanyeol looked at the older man in astonishment and only now noticed that his crush was wearing the hoodie that he had borrowed on January 1st. "Are you wearing my hoodie?" he asked, amazed.

Had it been possible, Baekhyun would have blushed even more than he already had. "Yes, I do and ... and ... my heart fluttered in a very strange way when you called me Hyung. That ... it came so unexpectedly."

"Awww," Chanyeol whispered and crouched down in front of him. "Have I found your weak spot?"

Offended, Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest. "Tssss Chanyeol, don't be so arrogant or I'll open the dryer and throw your wet underpants into the street to freeze them."

Chuckling, Chanyeol dropped into the chair next to him. "You're cute, Hyung." He pronounced the Hyung with a lot of aegyo and with a broad grin he tugged on the Baekhyun's sleeve. "You can keep the hoodie a little longer. It suits you better than me. It’s also a guarantee that we will see each other again after today.”

"This time we can simply exchange numbers," suggested Baekhyun and opened the chips bag.

"Call me crazy, but I'd like to try something. Let's not exchange numbers!"

"Huh?" Baffled, Baekhyun cocked his head. "I guess I'm not good enough for a friendship." He didn't want to sound bitter but that's exactly what he did.

"To be honest, I'm not looking for a friendship with you either," Chanyeol murmured. "I think we want two different things from each other. Or at least wanted. I have no idea if you're still keen to get me to bed. In any case, I don't want to be a friend you just screw. There is no sex without feelings with me."

"That's pretty honourable," Baekhyun sighed. "I knew I made a bad first impression on you. Just because I was drunk and horny I probably messed up something we could’ve had. A friendship would have been cool. Because somehow I have the feeling that we are on the same wavelength. And it's a shame that I don't even remember what it was like to kiss you."

Chanyeols entire expression spoke of indignation. "How can you not remember the kiss? I'm shocked and hurt,” he whined dramatically, making Baekhyun laugh.

"Sorry, sorry ... blame the soju. But I think it must’ve definitely been good. Your lips look at least very ... uhm ... delicious. "

"You have an IQ of 170 and you can't think of anything else but delicious?" Chanyeol shook his head in disbelief.

Baekhyun groaned and tilted his head back. "Delicious, charming, appetizing, delicate, attractive, desirable," he listed synonyms. "Pick one."

"Oh, desirable sounds good," winked Chanyeol. "Incidentally, I also find your mouth very lovely."

Baekhyun put his finger on Chanyeols lips so that he fell silent. "Be quiet, otherwise I'll kiss you here and now. But I don't want to be blamed when poor Ajumma has a heart attack.”

"You're a doctor," Chanyeol mumbled under Baekhyun's finger. "First aid is your thing, isn't it?"

"I'm more responsible for what comes after all help has failed," Baekhyun countered, taking his finger away and instead inserting a potato chip into Chanyeols mouth. With a sigh he leaned back against the back of the chair and watched Chanyeols dark laundry spin. "You know, this is probably the most extraordinary, spontaneous date I've ever had," he laughed softly and sipped from his coke can.

Chanyeol grinned so broadly that a dimple formed on his cheek. "For real?"

When Baekhyun turned back to him and discovered this irresistible dimple, he choked on his coke and coughed into his hand. "I wouldn't say staring into a washing machine is better than watching a Marvel movie or an evening with PUDG, but ... I think you understand what I mean."

"In an illogical way, yes, I do," Chanyeol chuckled.

"But now explain to me why you don't want my number and I don't get your number," Baekhyun said.

"I want to challenge fate. We only met by chance at a mutual friend’s party and saw each other again only by accident. I would be interested in how often we happen to run into each other until you fall in love with me."

Baekhyun laughed in disbelief. "What? And what if we don't see each other anymore? Would you want to give up so easily?"

"Do you really think we wouldn't see each other again? We have the same friend,” Chanyeol reminded him of Minseok. "Let's make a deal. If we run into each other twice by chance, we exchange numbers and go on a date. A real one."

"And what if I actually fall in love with you and ..."

"Then you’ll get the sex you wanted," Chanyeol interrupted.

The pink-haired man indignantly punched him on the upper arm. "Great, but actually I wanted to ask what if you didn't."

"Didn’t what?"

"Fall in love with me," he muttered sheepishly, lowering his eyes.

"Is that possible? Not to fall in love with you?" Chanyeol whispered and lifted Toben, who was chewing on his pant leg, onto his lap.

"I think it's hard to stay in love. At least no one has been able to stand it for long.”

"Oh, I'm very ambitious," Chanyeol smiled softly. "Say! Are you wondering what our kiss felt like?"

Baekhyun looked up again in surprise at the change of subject. "Constantly," he breathed and Chanyeol nodded thoughtfully.

"Let me help you there. We don't have a wall here that I could press you against, but a gentler approach should do the trick, too.” With one hand he lifted Baekhyun's chin and with the other he stroked a few strands of stray hair from his face. "Back then I didn’t have the opportunity to look at you so closely," he murmured, letting his gaze wander over every millimetre of Baekhyun's face. "It all happened so quickly." He ran his thumb over his lower lip, opening his mouth slightly, while Baekhyuns eyes were fixed on Chanyeols mouth. He wanted to lick his lips and could barely pull himself together.

"You really are beautiful," Chanyeol breathed, but before Baekhyun could reply, full, soft lips sealed his mouth with tender, small kisses. A shiver ran through his entire body and he shivered some more when he felt Chanyeols fingers in his hair on the back of his head. A muffled sigh escaped his lips into the kiss. It felt too good to be true.

"Why are you doing this?" he breathed against Chanyeols mouth.

"So that you have something to remember and hopefully to make you want to see me again. Is it working?” He could only feel Chanyeols grin against his own mouth. As smug as his kissing partner was, he couldn't deny that he had achieved his goal.

"Pretty," Baekhyun murmured, running the tip of his tongue over Chanyeols lower lip who understood the request and opened his mouth for a much more intimate kiss.

They skilfully ignored the suffocated, indignant sound that the owner made behind her counter and kissed devotedly and without shame. This kiss had none of the chaotic passion of New Year's Eve but it was no less breath-taking for Chanyeol.

Only when he noticed something warm and damp on his lap did he tear himself away from the kiss. He left a breathless Baekhyun, but he couldn't pay attention to that now. Not if his dog had pissed on him. "What the hell, Toben," he growled, pushing his dog off his lap.

Baekhyun followed his horrified look and started to laugh. "Oh my god ... muahahahaha ... I'm sorry, but ... muahahaha ... your face."

Chanyeol looked up at him sadly. "You have a good laugh."

"After all, you're in the laundromat. It's a shame that I won't see you in boxer shorts while you’re waiting for your freshly washed jeans to dry, but duty calls and a few lubricants have to be checked. Literally."

"That makes me even sadder now," Chanyeol pouted and Baekhyun put his hands over his mouth to stifle a laugh.

"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing anymore," he mumbled behind his hands.

"Liar," Chanyeol breathed. "I see your eyes laughing."

Baekhyun quickly put one of his hands over his eyes.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes and opened his jeans. "Such bad luck that you have to go," he teased the smaller one.

Baekhyun peeked between his fingers and his heart started to beat faster as the taller slipped out of his tight jeans.

"Yes, what bad luck." He jumped up quickly, slipped into his jacket and grabbed his bag with the research objects. With a last look at Chanyeol in Rilakkuma boxers and a bright red head, he hurried out of the salon. His heartbeats didn't feel all that healthy at all.

Astonished, Chanyeol looked after him and touched his lips. The muse had kissed him again and he wanted to finish drawing his character as soon as possible and give it the name Taeyang. The sun.


	3. Promise me

Baekhyun desperately glanced at the selection of shops the mall offered him. It wasn't that March 26th had come as a surprise, but, just like every year, he'd just forgotten that Minseok’s birthday was coming up. Despite all his talents remembering dates just wasn’t one of them. And he had even less talent in choosing gifts. He had given him toilet paper as a housewarming present. But he couldn't bring something like that to his 30th birthday. He really had no idea what to give his Hyung. He had known him for fifteen years and sadly found out that he had no idea what Minseok liked. Instead his head was full of other useless knowledge.

Uninspired as he was, he picked up his cell phone and dialled Minseok’s number. The best thing would be to ask the birthday boy himself what he wanted. Since he had already congratulated him in the morning, he skipped the nice, polite part and got straight to the point when Minseok picked up. "Hey old man, what do you actually want for your birthday?"

"Old man?" Minseok snorted in indignation. "I'm two years older than you and you really dare calling me old?"

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and sat down on one of the benches. A fountain was splashing behind him and in front of him two small children got on their mother's nerves. "I have a lot of respect for old people," grinned Baekhyun. "Take it as a compliment."

"Whatever," he sighed. "I want you to stop calling me that."

"Hyuuuung, please ... give me a clue on what you want. I have no idea what to get you,” he whined tearfully.

"Honestly Baekhyun, I have no specific wishes. I already have everything I need. But if you really want to give me something, then just a little something, okay?"

Baekhyun sighed in defeat. "You are not exactly helpful."

Minseok laughed. "Sorry. But I have a question for you."

"Yes? Which one?"

"You and Chanyeol ... what's going on? He asked about you."

Baekhyun's heart skipped a beat when Chanyeol's name was mentioned. It had been over a month since the last time they'd met, and he couldn't deny that he really wanted to see him again. Chanyeol wanted to leave it to fate, and even though Baekhyun had tried to outsmart said fate a few times and had been eating out at Minseok’s restaurant more often in the past few weeks, he had never been lucky. In retrospect, he had learned that they had actually missed each other by a few hours every time. This stupid fate was not gracious to them. But hearing that the other man had asked about him gave him hope.

"He ... he asked about me?" he asked meekly.

"Yes, he wanted to know if you were coming, too. So ... what's going on?"

"Nothing," the doctor replied honestly. "We only met by chance on Valentine's Day and spent an hour or so together."

"What?" Minseok shrieked into the receiver and Baekhyun had to hold his cell phone away from his ear, his face contorted with pain.

"Not the way you think, Hyung. He had seen me in the supermarket and afterwards I kept him company at the laundromat before I went back to the hospital. Nothing more and nothing less.” He preferred to keep the kiss to himself so he wouldn’t get shouted in the ear again.

"And why didn't you exchange numbers?"

"That was Chanyeol's idea. He wants to challenge fate,” groaned Baekhyun. "I would very much like to be his friend, but ..."

"Just a friend or a boyfriend?" Minseok asked. “If I think about it, you would be perfect for each other. And also look great together."

"Hyung," Baekhyun breathed meekly. "First of all, just a friend. I ... I just have to get to know him better in order to be able to decide how much I actually want from him."

“If you mean getting to know him through sex, you can forget it. Chanyeol dislikes one-night stands,” Minseok tried to instruct his younger friend.

"I know," Baekhyun laughed dryly. "I just don’t think I'm suitable as a boyfriend. I always put my work above everything and everyone and ... "

"Don't talk nonsense, Baekhyun. You just haven't met the person who overshadows your passion for your job. Or you have already met him and just haven't realized it yet. I think if you are really in love, you will be a great boyfriend who would do anything for their partner. You always let yourself be guided too much by your head instead of your heart. You know, that organ also has needs and I’m not talking about oxygen."

"To be precise, the heart supplies the organism with oxygen and nutrients and ..."

"Yes, yes, all right, why am I even trying to argue with a doctor," Minseok interrupted. "What I want to say is, it also needs love."

Baekhyun was silent for a moment. Love. He hadn't felt that in a long time. At least not that kind of love. "So is Chanyeol coming, too?" he asked after a while.

"Of course, he's one of my friends after all," laughed Minseok. "He will surely be happy to see you. Whatever you did to him, he seems to like you."

"O-okay," was all he got out. "See you later." He hung up and stared into space as if in a trance. After a damn long six weeks, he would finally see him again. A reason to be happy, but it was diminished by the fact that this meeting was not one of those random encounters required. It was more or less arranged by Minseok. Not consciously, but nevertheless planned. So still no closer to a date. But he shouldn't be picky and instead be happy with what he got, which was a couple of hours with Chanyeol.

"Oh fuck," it suddenly burst out of him and almost fell backwards into the fountain. "What do I wear? I do not have anything to wear! Oh shit!” He looked at his watch in panic. Five hours until the party. He hastily dialled Sehun’s number.

"Come to the COEX Mall immediately. It's an emergency!” He roared into the receiver when Sehun answered after five rings.

"Hyung? What? What happened?” Sehun stammered at the other end.

"An emergency! Hurry up, time is running out.” Without another word, he hung up and rubbed his face. "Oh God, what am I doing? Why am I like this?"

"Are you fucking serious?" Sehun asked half an hour later and put his hands over his head. "I raced here, my pulse was at 180 because I imagined the worst things that could have happened, and you have the audacity to sit here and relax and drink a bubble tea without buying one for me, too?"

"I somehow had to kill my time until you came," Baekhyun shrugged and let his drink be snatched out of his hand by a sullen-looking Sehun.

"Urgh, strawberry," Sehun spat disgustedly.

"Don't say anything against strawberries," growled Baekhyun, digging his finger into Sehuns chest.

Annoyed, Sehun slapped Baekhyun's hand away. "What is this emergency now?"

"I need clothes for tonight. I have nothing to wear,” Baekhyun whined, pouting at him like a toddler.

"Your closet is full of stuff," sighed the younger.

"I only have formal or too casual clothes in it. I need something in between, something that flatters me and shows my best side.”

"Which side is that?" Sehun asked dryly and received a slap on the upper arm.

"Just be useful and help me look good," the pink-haired groaned and dragged his best friend into the first shop.

An hour later Baekhyun sighed in satisfaction and looked into his shopping bag. With Sehun’s help, he had put together a more than nice outfit. Dress to impress. That was his slogan for the evening.

"Now, why did I have to go through this again?" Sehun whined for what felt like the hundredth time and let himself fall onto a bench, exhausted. "You don't usually put much thought into your outfits. It's just Minseok Hyung's birthday. We are just a couple of his friends ... oh ... ohhhh.” The Maknaes' face lit up in enlightenment.

"Shut up Oh Sehun," growled Baekhyun. He really didn't feel like getting a round of teasing.

"Forget it," laughed the student. "It's just too good. Byun Baekhyun wants to please someone. Is it that ex-soldier? Who you wanted to fuck on New Year's Eve but missed your chance because you fell asleep while kissing? Ahhh, that was wonderful. His face was fucking funny when you started drooling on his chest."

"I hate you!" the doctor muttered with a red face.

"No, youuuuu love meeee," laughed the younger.

"Yes, yes anyway. Now I just need a gift for Hyung,” Baekhyun tried to distract.

"You don't even have a present yet?" Sehun burst out in disgust. "It was more important to you to find a pair of pants in which your ass looks great than to worry about your Hyung? What is going wrong in your head?"

Ashamed, Baekhyun bit his lower lip. "I ... I'm desperate ... oookaaayyyy? I really like him and… ”

"You kissed him once on New Year's Eve. How can you actually know that you like him? "

"I kissed him again on Valentine's Day," he mumbled, avoiding Sehun’s look.

"I thought you didn't have a date."

"True, I didn’t. We ran into each other by accident."

"So you decided to just kiss him?" Stunned at his friend, Sehun shook his head.

"No, actually he kissed me. And I thought it was nice. Now leave me alone and don't make any stupid allusions tonight. I want him to like me.” Pouting and with pleading eyes, the smaller one looked up at him. "You better tell me what to give Minseok. That's why I was actually here. I didn't panic until he told me Chanyeol was coming and had asked about me. I just forgot about the present completely."

Sehun sighed softly. He felt sorry for his best friend. Being smart didn't necessarily mean you were going to act smart or make smart decisions. Especially when it came to emotional matters. “Buy him a set from the Nature Republic men's series. You know how crazy he is for facial care."

Baekhyun cocked his head and blinked at him a few times. He looked like a confused puppy.

"Okay," Sehun murmured. "Judging by your face, you had no idea. Sometimes you should try using your brain for really useful knowledge instead of just things that half of us mortals don’t understand."

“Don’t be so mean”, pouted Baekhyun.

“Maybe you could bleach your hair. You still have some time to impress him more,” the younger suggested and Baekhyuns eyes lit up.

*

"Yes ... yes ... that's not a problem. I will have the next chapter ready by the middle of next week. … Until Monday? … I'll try. … Sorry, what? ... Okay, I will submit it on Monday. … Okay, goodbye.” Sighing, Chanyeol put his cell phone back in his pocket and leaned his forehead against the closed elevator door. It was almost impossible to draw a complete chapter by Monday, if he hadn't even started it, let alone had no idea what was going to happen in it. He had been in a creative crisis for almost two weeks.

Maybe he would make it if he didn't go to Minseok’s birthday. He looked into the shopping bag sadly which contained the present for the elder. The outfit he had chosen was already ready laid out on his bed. If he didn't go he could make the deadline, but he wouldn't see Baekhyun again, and he had waited six weeks for that reunion. When Minseok had said that he would also be there, he couldn't believe his luck. Because in the six weeks he had also realized that he absolutely wanted this man. He would also be happy with a friendship; the main thing was that he wanted to have him in his life. However, he also stood by his decision to let fate decide when he would ask the older for a date. And since it wasn't a “fateful” meeting today, he still wasn’t any closer to his goal. But at least he would be able to see him today and they would certainly have the opportunity to talk alone. Away from Minseok’s watchful eye from who seemed to suspect that he had developed an interest in Baekhyun.

When the elevator opened, he entered and pressed the button on the 7th floor. Just thinking about Baekhyun had made his decision easier. He would go to this birthday party and spend as much time as possible with his crush. He would rather draw three days and nights in a row before giving up this chance. Maybe there could be a kiss again. So far, his muse's kisses had always been very helpful. And the effect never seemed to last for more than four weeks. A kiss from Baekhyun was a creative explosion for four weeks. Oh God, how creative would he be if they could kiss every day, if they went beyond kissing? Would he then become a creative prodigy? A Van Gogh, a Picasso, a Michelangelo?

Shaking his head over himself and his thoughts, he entered the code for his apartment door. As if he could suddenly become a genius just because he kissed one.

He should have noticed that something was wrong when he entered his apartment. Toben did not run towards him as usual but lay on the couch and just looked at him. No barking, no wagging tail. But Chanyeol was too deep in his thoughts to notice. He patted the dog on the head as he passed and put Minseok’s gift on his desk before climbing the steps to his bedroom. The party would start in half an hour and he was too late anyway. Fortunately, he had showered earlier. Hurrying now would be useless anyway. The drive to Minseok would also take a while. Why did all his friends have to live in other parts of the city? Why was he the only one in Mapo?

Humming to himself, he began to undress, kicked his worn clothes into a corner, and reached for the black shirt.

"What the hell," Chanyeol muttered when he noticed that the shirt was damp. With a disgusted face he sniffed the fabric and threw it straight to the dirty laundry before he cried out in frustration. "TOBEN !!!!"

The reply came as a yapping from the living area. He angrily ran to the balustrade and looked down at his dog who was standing on the sofa on his hindlegs with the front paws on the backrest as if he were leaning against it. He had tilted his small head with the floppy ears and his tail waved happily back and forth. He looked as if he couldn’t do anything bad at all. A devil in black dog fur.

"Do you hate me so much? Hm? What did I do to you? Why are you doing something like this?” Chanyeol whined and stroked his hair. They were still dark, but a lot longer. Another inch or two and he could have the haircut he wanted. "If you have to piss then then please just don’t do it on me or my clothes. You’ll ruin all my chances."

Toben barked once, turned once in a circle and dropped back onto the couch as if nothing had happened.

"Yeah, me too," Chanyeol growled, shuffling back to his clothes rail, which had all of his other shirts on it. But none was as chic as the one he had originally wanted to wear. "Fuck, what am I going to wear now?"

One shirt after another flew onto the bed, but he was not satisfied with any of them. Nothing was perfect. The military had changed his body and he was far more muscular than he had been before. Of course, that was a good side effect, but having no shirts that didn't stretch over his chest, shoulder and upper arms was inconvenient in the current situation. Clad only in his black, holey skinnies did he dig through his drawer and finally decided on a white graphic t-shirt and a black, hooded jacket. Far from chic and much closer to comfortable, but he tried to calm himself down with the thought that the party was supposed to be a relaxing get together with only Minseok’s best friends and that he wasn't going to seduce Baekhyun. Like this the smaller one would see what would happen if he ever fell in love with him. Yes, Chanyeol was sure that he should present himself as he was. What you see is what you get, right? No pretending, just the unadorned truth. However, he could change something in the styling. In front of the mirror he pondered whether it was going to be a comma look, hair styled up or with bangs. He tested all three and ended up with option two. With bangs he looked like a schoolboy and the comma look didn't match the rest. So, hair backwards. Hair gel and spray made it possible. Glasses off and contact lenses in. His look was finished, and he was only an hour late when he arrived at his friend's house. And he certainly wasn't the last one to show up. Normally it was always Jongin who showed up too late.

In order not to waste any more time, he hurried down the stairs, slipped into his chucks and wrote a note to his mother, who wanted to pick up Toben later. He didn’t want her to give him any treats, since he had made him angry again with his pee attack. He didn't deserve any treats.

In the last second he remembered the gift in the bag and finally stormed out of his apartment.

Another 45 minutes later he finally rang Minseok’s doorbell. He could already hear loud laughter from inside and one of them was definitely Jongin’s. Fuck, this time he really was the last.

With a jerk the door was opened by the birthday boy and host himself. "Ahhh, there is the last one coming." He was greeted with a wide gummy smile by his Hyung.

"Sorry for being late, but Toben pissed on my clothes and I had to change plans."

"This apology sounds just like ‘my dog ate my homework’. Come in, Chan."

Chanyeol laughed loudly and entered the large, spacious apartment where he had lived for a month. "But it’s true. Toben hates me. I wanted to look really good.”

"How so? Do you intend to impress someone?” Suggestively Minseok wiggled his eyebrows and nodded his head towards the living room. “By the way, he is here and looks smoking hot. He even dyed his hair freshly."

"Really? He is not pink anymore?” The taller asked disappointedly and hugged his friend in a brotherly way before he pressed the bag with the birthday present into his arms.

"No, now he has white hair and looks like he emerged from a Manhwa. I think you’ll have to give your Taeyang a new hair colour too. "

Chanyeol turned red. Was it really that obvious his main character was drawn after Baekhyun? He just hoped the doctor himself would never see his webtoon. Suddenly he was embarrassed that he had used Baekhyun as a model, but this man was just so handsome, he couldn't help it. Minseok, who had put his hand on his back, led him to the others in the living room. Not only his friends were sitting there, but also Baekhyun, Sehun, Jongdae and Yixing, who belonged to the other group of friends which he wasn’t a part of. Yet. But maybe it would change someday. He HOPED it would change because that would mean more Baekhyun for him.

The group of friends had not yet noticed his arrival because they were too absorbed in what they were doing. Yixing and Jongin were watching Jongdae, Kyungsoo, Sehun and Baekhyun who were playing a game on the PlayStation. The latter had actually dyed his hair white which left Chanyeol speechless. Doctors were often called gods in white. Because of their coats, actually. But he really had to be a god. Fuck that white coat if you could have white hair and looked like the heartthrob of every Manhwa. If not more beautiful and, above all, more real.

"What are they playing?" he asked in astonishment and leaned against the sofa Jongin and Yixing were sitting on.

Jongin put his head back and looked up at Chanyeol. "Hey Hyung. The play Risk. And damn, Baekhyun Hyung is dangerous. His goal is world domination and the others are losing country after country to him. Asia and Europe already belong to him."

"Wow," Chanyeol breathed, sitting on the armrest.

"Hi, I'm Yixing by the way. Last time we didn't really introduce ourselves."

"Oh hello," Chanyeol smiled and shook the Chinese man's hand. "I am Chanyeol."

"Ah, you're the one Baekkie talks about all the time?" grinned Yixing, making Chanyeol blush.

"He talked about me?"

Yixing looked over Chanyeol. "Tall, long legs, broad shoulders, big eyes, dimple, deep voice ... yes, he clearly spoke of you."

"Hopefully only good things," Chanyeol murmured.

"Well, if he can't wait to see you, that means a lot, doesn't it?" The Chinese smiled knowingly before turning back to the game the others were playing.

Baekhyun, who was sitting on the floor in front of the TV and holding his controller firmly in his hands, turned to look at them and saw Chanyeol sitting on the back of the couch next to Yixing. Their eyes met and his eyes started to shine even more than they already did.

"I think you already know Chanyeol," Minseok said and put his hand on Chanyeol's back. "At least from Baekhyun's gushing." The birthday boy winked at the doctor, who turned red and muttered a whiny "Hyuuuung". How could he embarrass him like that?

"Because of you, he forced me to come shopping with him today just to impress you. So please be impressed by his ass in these pants so I didn't waste my time,” Sehun said to Chanyeol, who was struggling hard not to laugh while Baekhyun scolded himself for having the worst friends ever. He knew why he preferred to surround himself with corpses. At least they didn't expose him. "Yah Sehun-ah, you're just mad because I've conquered all of your countries."

"Better conquer a heart. A beating heart please,” countered Sehun. "And get up and greet him so that he can at least see your ass."

"They have an interesting friendship," Chanyeol murmured and Yixing chuckled.

"They are more like brothers. Not surprising since they grew up together. Their mothers are best friends. And even though both have real siblings, they act more like brothers than with their real siblings. They have already broken up their friendship an infinite number of times but still keep hanging onto each other.”

Chanyeol nodded in understanding. His friendship with Kyungsoo was almost the same.

To free Baekhyun from this situation, Minseok announced that they could start eating and drinking since they were finally complete. And a little later, there were nine of them at the table. Chanyeol hadn't managed to get a seat next to Baekhyun, but at least one opposite him. Which of course was not bad, either. So he could at least look at him closely.

Sometime a few hours later in the evening, the they were all getting quite tipsy. A lot of alcohol had been flowing and the food that found its way onto the table again and again seemed to be unlimited. It was almost as if Minseok had ordered catering for 50 people. The youngest in the group were responsible for ensuring that the drinks were constantly refreshed. Sehun and Jongin, who had gained a deep connection in their tipsy state over the last two hours, were only too happy to take on the task. Sehun made sure that his best friend Baekhyun only got light beer. Every time he brought him a new one, he was also given remarks such as "Here Grandpa, don't overdo it" or "Not that you fall asleep again while kissing". Yes, you could rely on Sehun.

"Did you know that in Japan they produce more paper for Mangas than for toilet paper?" Baekhyun randomly asked at some point.

"What made you think of that now?" Kyungsoo asked, confused.

"Don't bother," giggled Jongdae. "Baek is the king of randomness."

Baekhyun shrugged unaffectedly. "You talked about toilets. I just remembered that. I thought before you start talking about the consistency of your dumps, I should share my knowledge. After all, many people read Mangas during their shit sessions.”

"Hm, that might explain why the toilet paper is so terribly thin there. If you just put a little too much pressure while wiping, you have shit on your fingers,” Chanyeol added his knowledge. While everyone scrunched up their faces and made disgusted noises, he and Baekhyun looked at each other with a grin.

"How did it get this far?" Junmyeon sighed. "Let's talk about something else, please."

"About what? About the meaning of life? About the weather? About death? I'm still looking for meaning, the weather was good today and I'm not afraid of death,” suggested Baekhyun.

"Now that we're so philosophical, everyone can quote their favourite saying," suggested Minseok. "Maybe one of you can make it to the wall of my restaurant."

"I'll start," Yixing called quickly before someone else did. "Eating and sex are the two great desires of the man."

"Was to be expected from the brothel owner," giggled Baekhyun.

"Strip Club," Yixing and Sehun groaned at the same time.

"Is that really a saying or did you come up with it yourself?" Jongin asked doubtfully.

"It's from Confucius. Hard to believe, huh?” Baekhyun put in.

"Don't think so often about what you lack, but what you have." Satisfied with his saying, Junmyeon leaned back.

"It's easy to talk, you're fucking rich and you have everything," grumbled Kyungsoo. "The way to all great things goes through silence," he added his saying quickly.

"That's why you're always so quiet," chuckled Jongin, who was hit by a Kyungsoo smack.

"We wait our whole life for the extraordinary people instead of the ordinary people to transform us into them," Chanyeol murmured, looking at Baekhyun. He had found his extraordinary man in him, but he felt too ordinary for this genius. How could he keep up with him? Baekhyun had been shining with wit, charm and intelligence the whole evening. He was beautiful, smart and funny. Inwardly, Chanyeol had soaked up every detail of his crush so that he could infuse his character with the memories. Couldn't Baekhyun transform him into an equally extraordinary person so that they could be exceptional for each other?

Baekhyun held Chanyeol's gaze. Was the artist right? Was that a reason why he could never really get involved with anyone? Had he been thinking that he was better than others without realizing it? Probably yes …

“The secret of love is bigger than that of death. Oscar Wilde,” he murmured, lowering his eyes, ashamed of the realization why all his relationships had failed. "And he was right about that. I can determine the cause of a death, but love ...” He left the sentence open and moved the chair back so far that he could get up. "I need fresh air."

"But don't jump over the fence," Minseok called after him.

No one seemed to have noticed that Chanyeol's words had hit him directly. It was certainly not what the taller had wanted to achieve. It was probably just the saying he used to live his life according to. He didn't know him that well. But it definitely made him think. With a sigh, he leaned against the fence and looked down at the street. The street noises did not reach the top. The night would have been starry if the city lights weren’t stealing the night sky’s show. This kind of light pollution was unfortunately typical for big cities.

With a sigh, Baekhyun tilted his head back and breathed in the cool night air. The wind that was blowing up here was fresh and ruffled his white hair. But the combination of cool temperature and fresh wind also ensured that the alcohol, which had fogged his brain slightly, lost its effect and he was able to organize his thoughts better. Sehun had expressed his condolences over a month ago. He was sorry he was so alone. Although he had always denied it, he was. Especially in the late hours when he was in bed. When he couldn't keep his head busy with cases, his body and mind were tired, he missed arms to snuggle into. Touches that calmed him. Words that encouraged him. Finding someone who loved him as he was and for who he was always seemed impossible. He could never meet the expectations of others and they could never meet the expectations he set. He had run away from them endlessly to see if they would follow. He always ended up alone.

He didn't know how long he had been standing on the balcony when the sliding door opened behind him and someone stood next to him.

"Baekhyun-ah, what are you doing here alone? It's cold,” he heard Chanyeol's warm, deep voice. "Why did you disappear? Do you want to get sick?"

"Sometimes we run away just to see if we are worth enough for someone to follow," Baekhyun murmured, turning his head to the young artist.

"So, did you want to test me?" Chanyeol asked confusedly and opened his hooded vest so he could take it off and put it around Baekhyun's shoulders.

"What are you doing? Now you are getting cold!“ Baekhyun tried to fight back, but Chanyeol determinedly pushed the arms of the smaller one through the sleeves of the vest.

"I don't get cold so quickly. My blood is pretty warm. Besides, you'd be worth it to freeze my ass off."

"I didn't want to test you," Baekhyun admitted defeatedly and let him pull up the zipper. The vest was too big for him and he nearly got lost in the fabric, but Chanyeol's happy smile made him overlook the fact that he probably looked ridiculous. “I only became aware of how often I had done this and ended up realizing that I wasn't worth anything to anyone. Maybe my expectations were always too high. … I don’t know."

"I'm here. I followed you,” Chanyeol breathed, keeping an eye on the smaller one. "Isn't that proof that you're worth something to me?"

Baekhyun grunted understandingly and took a step towards him. "Can I hug you?"

Instead of verbally answering, Chanyeol simply wrapped his arms around the smaller one and pressed him against his chest. Baekhyun did the same and slid his arms around Chanyeol's middle. With his eyes closed, he took in the other's fragrance. It was pleasant. It was warm. It was… roman-

"Your hair stinks."

"I know," Baekhyun murmured, rolling his eyes. "They are freshly bleached. That is the ammonia. It’ll go away as soon as I wash them again. Can you take it a bit longer?"

Chanyeol laughed softly and hugged him closer. "Yes, you are worth a bit of suffocation."

“It's not concentrated enough for that. It only irritates the eyes."

"I know Doctor Byun," Chanyeol joked, stroking the other's white hair.

Baekhyun nosed his face a little more into Chanyeol's throat and his warm breath gave the other one pleasant goose bumps. It was definitely something he could get used to.

"Chanyeol, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Do you really believe in fate? Because I'm afraid that it might cheat us."

Chanyeol was silent for a moment. Not because he didn't have an answer, but because he wanted to find the right words for it. "I think the universe does everything possible to bring special people together because certain encounters are far too special to be accidental! You are such a special person, Byun Baekhyun. I just don't know if I'm that special person for you. That's why I challenged fate. If the universe wants it that way, fate will bring us together again and again."

"For me there have never been any random meetings," Baekhyun admitted quietly. "Every person in my life is either a test, a punishment or a gift."

Chanyeol let go of him and pushed him away from him for a closer look. "Then let me be your gift."

"You won't let me unwrap you," pouted Baekhyun and made the other laugh out loud.

"No not yet. But that doesn't mean that you will never get to do it."

"It's like putting a strawberry cheesecake in front of me, but telling me that I can only look, not eat."

"I'm flattered that you're comparing me to a strawberry cheesecake," smiled the taller one, leaning against the fence.

"I loooove strawberries," the young doctor blurted out.

Chanyeol actually turned a little red but was glad that it was pretty dark on the balcony. But he also started to shiver a little. The warmth of the hug had left his body and he was rubbing his arms. After all, he was only wearing his T-shirt.

Suddenly he felt two hands around his right arm and looked surprised at Baekhyun, who stared at his arm in fascination.

"You have a tattoo! You didn't have that on New Year's Eve, did you?"

Chanyeol followed his gaze to his forearm and the relatively fresh tattoo, his Chinese zodiac sign, the monkey.

"Oh, um ... yes. I got that done two weeks ago.”

Tender fingers stroked the uneven, partly encrusted skin and traced the motif. Goose bumps spread over his body. It was an innocent touch. How would he react if Baekhyun's touches became less innocent?

"Why a monkey?"

"It's my zodiac sign," Chanyeol breathed out.

"Mine too." Baekhyun looked up in surprise. “We have the same birth year. I didn't know we were the same age. Because you called me Hyung, I automatically assumed that you were at least a year younger.”

"My birthday is in November."

"So, you're only half a year younger than me. You don't have to call me Hyung."

"But you blush when I do it and it’s cute," Chanyeol smiled.

It got loud inside the apartment and they both looked through the window at the same time to see what was going on inside.

"Oh, they're preparing for karaoke," Baekhyun said.

"Do you like karaoke?" Chanyeol asked carefully.

"Not as much as spending more time alone with you, but you're freezing. So, we should go in, warm up and join the others."

"You're right." But before Baekhyun could open the door, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. His free hand went up to cup Baekhyun's cheek and his cold lips found their way onto the smaller one’s for a small, tentative kiss. Followed by a second and third until Baekhyun awoke from his rigidity and kissed back. Kiss four and five, timid, almost shy. Kiss six and seven, a little bolder with more pressure. Kiss eight and nine, more demanding, more impatient. The tenth kiss reached the depth they both wanted. It was open, their tongues met in Baekhyun's mouth for a sensual dance that they never wanted to end. Chanyeol's hand was on the doctor's neck. His fingers buried themselves in the soft fluff of his neck hair. The hand that had been holding his wrist a moment ago gripped the other's hand and he entwined their fingers while Baekhyun's free hand was on his chest.

Baekhyun could feel Chanyeol's heartbeat under his hand and it had the most beautiful rhythm he had ever felt. It was fast, it was strong, and he was the trigger for it.

It was only when the sliding door was pushed open and the noise came outside that they were torn from their own world. Startled, they turned to the door without letting go of the other's hand.

Minseok grinned knowingly at them while Jongdae delivered his dramatic interpretation of My Heart Will Go On in the background and Sehun and Kai danced a waltz. There must have been even more alcohol while they’d been on the balcony. "I just wanted to ask if you would like to join us. Or should I show you to the guest room?"

"We're coming," Baekhyun murmured, embarrassed that they were caught.

Minseok turned but left the door open so they wouldn't forget to follow him. But before they could, Chanyeol pressed his lips against Baekhyun's temple. "Promise me you won't run away from me."

Baekhyun closed his eyes with a smile. He wouldn’t have to make Chanyeol into an exceptional person because he already was one. In his very own way.


	4. Fuck butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for dropping by and for kudos and comments. It feels really nice to know you liked it.  
> Shout out for my beta @KaossBells. She was really fast this time. Thank you babe, you're awesome.  
> For this chap … maybe it's getting hotter ;)

He felt really cooped up after he hadn’t moved, even an inch, from his desk in the past few days. He didn’t do anything but draw until his hand started to hurt. The success of his webtoon had literally overwhelmed him and the requests for updates never wavered. At times, Chanyeol only slept four hours a night. In the long run, this just could not be healthy. However, the amount of work also meant that he didn't really have much time to think about Baekhyun. It had been 16 days and so far, they hadn't been able to see each other again. But how could they if he only left the apartment to go for a short round with Toben or for grocery shopping to fill the fridge. Despite little time, he didn’t want to solely live off the delivery service, so he occasionally cooked for himself.

But just because he couldn't think of Baekhyun during the day didn't mean he didn't do it at night. As soon as he was in bed, his thoughts wandered to the young doctor. The evening of Minseok’s birthday had burned itself deep into his memory. After the moment they had had on the balcony and after that kiss, nothing else had happened between them. They had joined the others and bawled out one song after the other with them until the neighbours had complained. Sometime shortly after midnight, Baekhyun was called to a crime scene and after that, Chanyeol had left the celebration. He had only had three more days to draw the next chapter, after all. This weekend had been just coffee, more coffee, and a lot more coffee on top of that so he could survive the nights. He had actually been able to deliver a new chapter Monday morning. After this overtime, he never wanted to let it get to the point where he slipped into a creative block again. But what was he supposed to do? Baekhyun was his muse for this story and he always needed a dose of him. Since he never knew when he would get one again, he had to savour this persistent high to the last second. However, it didn't mean that he could only do it within his four walls.

Since the weather was good, he decided to walk a slightly bigger round with Toben and then maybe continue working at a café. After making this decision, he packed his laptop and graphic tablet in his backpack, exchanged the sweatpants for black jeans, the t-shirt for a blue checked shirt and the hoodie for his black leather jacket.

"Toben! Here we go. We're going for a walk,” Chanyeol called for his dog, who jumped enthusiastically towards him as if he were a fawn. With a smile at his dog's enthusiasm, he put the leash on him. "You’re acting as if I never go out with you."

Toben huffed almost reproachfully.

"Now, don't exaggerate. We were at the park for half an hour yesterday.”

The little black poodle sat down in front of him, yelped once and turned his head from his master, pointedly offended.

"Now you're behaving like a diva. Don't be so dramatic,” he laughed in amusement. "What did Eomma do with over the last two years when I was in the military? She must have spoiled you like a Halmoni would."

His dog made a humming sound.

"Aha, so you are her grandson now. Do I have to worry about it?"

With a sigh, he grabbed his Bluetooth headphones and draped them around his neck. They might come in handy later if he couldn't block out the noise in the cafe. He always did his best drawing to his personally compiled playlist.

"Okay little one, let's go to the park." He gently tugged at the leash to get his dog moving and left the apartment.

After an extensive walk and exhausting game of fetch, in which Toben proved to be a little uncooperative, Chanyeol had made himself comfortable in a small but cute café. He had never visited this place before, as he was rarely in the area, but he was glad to have discovered it. The prices were reasonable and the coffee selection excellent. The cakes they had on display also looked delicious. He only wanted to reward himself when he had achieved his set job goal, though. Discipline was key. So, he sat down in a corner on a comfortable looking couch with just a cold brew. Toben lay down next to him in the free space and he unpacked his laptop and tablet. Fortunately, the table was large enough for it to spread out his stuff. While his laptop and the program started up, he scrolled through the playlist on his cell phone and put on the headphones. He was ready to dive back into his fantasy world and draw what he thought up in his head.

When the program opened, Baekhyun's eyes looked straight up at him. Drawn, but they looked as real as Baekhyun's real eyes. Chanyeol smiled at the picture. "Taeyang, who would have thought you'd become so popular. No wonder actually, you are as beautiful as your real world counterpart,” he murmured and got to work.

*

"The victim was instantly dead. As you can see here, the stab went straight through the heart." Baekhyun gestured to the victim's chest. "The perpetrator knew exactly where and with how much force he had to stab. At first it almost seemed to me that he felt sorry for the victim and wished him a quick death. But all the other wounds speak a different language."

"And none of them was the cause?" asked the homicide investigator.

"Nope." Baekhyun shook his head. "They were inflicted post-mortem and with less force since the victim could no longer defend himself. There were also no defence injuries. So, the stab in the chest was the first and the fatal.”

"Weapon?"

Baekhyun scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Hmm, I would say a kitchen knife with a blade of at least twenty centimetres."

"Almost certainly not a butter knife," growled the inspector.

"Pretty sure," laughed Baekhyun. "Was there a knife missing from the victim's kitchen?" he asked, covering the body and taking off the medical disposable gloves. He skilfully threw them over his shoulder right into the trash can. The other man raised his eyebrows approvingly. It was not the first time they worked together. Ever since Minseok’s birthday, they had put all the formalities aside, because the commissioner was none other than Do Kyungsoo, a friend of Minseok and the best friend of Chanyeol. On New Year's Eve, Baekhyun had been too drunk to remember him, but had wondered why Kyungsoo had grinned at him knowingly when they first worked together in January. He had only gotten the information on Minseok’s birthday, and as a result they had been in a direct war over Australia. Baekhyun would have won if they hadn't interrupted the game because of Chanyeol's arrival. But it didn't matter. Chanyeol's arrival had been something of a grand prize for him.

"It didn't look like it. But I will send someone to check again. Good job, Doctor Byun. Do you have time for a coffee?"

Baekhyun quickly glanced at his watch and nodded. “I actually have a few minutes. I only have to write and submit the report and I have until this afternoon to do that. A coffee can’t hurt. But please not the one from the cafeteria. It's terrible."

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. "And what would you suggest, Doctor Byun?"

"There is a café that really has a good selection just around the corner."

"Well, let's go there then."

Baekhyun slipped out of his scrubs and hung them on the hook next to his desk, pulling his leather jacket over his hoodie instead.

"Chanyeol has the same hoodie," Kyungsoo stated dryly and Baekhyun's face grew very warm.

"Oh really? What a coincidence,” he coughed and slipped his cell phone into his pocket. "Let's go."

"Don't you have to push the body back into the fridge?" Kyungsoo asked in surprise and followed Baekhyun out of the room.

"Don't worry, he won't run away."

"The hoodie is Chanyeol’s," the commissioner stated dryly. "I don't know how and why you got it, but it definitely belongs to my best friend."

"And what makes you so sure?" asked Baekhyun suspiciously.

"I'm not with the police for nothing. You behave suspiciously and your body language betrays you. In addition, it is too big for you."

In the elevator, the doctor turned to him and rolled his eyes. “He gave it to me and didn't want it back yet. I like to wear it because it's so cosy and comfortable.”

"You sure you’re not just wearing it because it belongs to Chanyeol?" Kyungsoos grin was crooked and challenging. "You can admit that you like him. By the way, he also likes you very much. No meeting goes by without him mentioning your name at least once. Funny how rarely you actually run into each other, even though you have the same friend and both of you still live in Mapo.”

"He also lives in Mapo?" Baekhyun asked in amazement. Minseok must have kept this information from him.

"Hongdae, to be precise."

"Does he know that I live in Mapo, too?"

Kyungsoo shook his head. "Nobody told him. I think we all find your deal too funny, so we don’t get involved.”

"But now you've told me that we live in the same area." Baekhyun's eyes sparkled with joy and excitement. Finally, he had a clue where to look for him.

"Just because I can no longer stand it that you delay your date so unnecessarily. You like each other. I don't know to which extend your interest in each other matches up, but that's what dates are for. To find out if you're on the same page. I know this idea came from my idiot best friend. All of sudden he’s become a hopeless romantic, and he really has very little self-confidence as far as you are concerned.”

Baekhyun looked silently at Kyungsoo and tried to understand what he meant. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," Kyungsoo sighed. "He just put you on a pedestal that he doesn't think he can get to. Too pretty, too smart, too perfect for him. He thinks he’s no match for you, not good enough for you."

"He didn’t give me that impression when we were making out those three times," Baekhyun murmured.

"You did? Make out, I mean?" asked Kyungsoo in amazement, since Chanyeol hadn't told him about the second time. He had only witnessed the kissing on Minseok’s birthday and had heard of the first after the fireworks had passed on New Year's Eve.

"He initiated the second and third. I only started the first time,” said Baekhyun. "So, I never would have thought that he would think he wasn’t good enough for me."

"Well, you don't need a lot of smarts to make out, but you do need it for clever conversations," Kyungsoo shrugged.

"He's not stupid," Baekhyun muttered as they left the hospital and walked down the street.

Kyungsoo laughed. "Sometimes he is. The very idea of letting fate decide whether you are dating or not is stupid."

Baekhyun sighed softly. The idea might have been stupid, but he was just as stupid for getting involved. If he had made such an agreement with Kyungsoo, he would no longer be single, considering how often they had run into each other in the past few months. Even if all the meetings were professional. But did he even want a relationship? He wanted to get to know Chanyeol better, spend time with him and be close to him. But he wasn't ready to be labelled.

"Hyung, be honest. Do you really like my best friend or do you just want sex? If so, you should know there is a reason why Chanyeol is against one-night stands or casual fuck relationships. And since he'll never tell you the reason of his own accord, I'll do it. He once was a fuckboy himself."

Baekhyun's eyes widened. He had never expected that. "Chanyeol? A fuckboy? Are you kidding me? I mean ... he has the look, but ... he ... he ... is so loving and cautious and ... "

“One day the mirror was held up to him and he became the victim of a guy who just played with him. I don't want to go into it any further, just know that he knows what it feels like to be exploited and it definitely wasn't a nice feeling. It was hard enough to get him out of that hole. So please don't push him back in."

They stopped in front of the café and Kyungsoo looked at him pleadingly.

"Hey ... I'm not ‘that guy’," Baekhyun said quietly. "Do you think I haven’t already been taken advantage of? Do you know how many wanted to adorn themselves with me? Introducing me as their intelligent doctor boyfriend to their friends was always such a satisfaction for them. Everyone thinks being a genius is so great. But nobody sees the other side of the story. The loneliness that it brings. Do you know why so many smart people are lonely? Not because we think we are better, but because we are branded as nerds, geeks, freaks. And because intelligence can be scary, we are also avoided. I have few friends and Sehun and I often quarrel like an old couple, but he is the only one who has been by my side since kindergarten and has always fought for me. That's why he's the only one who can make fun of me, because I know that he loves me anyway and really cares about me. The fact Chanyeol likes me feels like winning the lottery because I like him, too. A lot. And if we just became friends, that would still be a big win.”

"Fine, then I hope you don't hurt each other." Kyungsoo opened the café door and they went up to the counter. "By the way, I don't think you’re freaky or anything. At least not more than I am myself."

Baekhyun laughed and shook his head as he started to order. "Good to know, Commissioner Do."

“We both see terrible things because of our jobs. To get through this you have to be a bit fucked up. And on top of it you cut these terrible things open and take a closer look."

"Sometimes I also saw them up or have to put them back together," Baekhyun replied dryly. "What do you want? It's on me."

But before Kyungsoo could reply, his cell phone rang. "Sorry, duty calls. Another time then."

"All right. Say hi to Chanyeol from me."

"You can do that yourself." With a subtle movement, Kyungsoo nodded his head at the space behind Baekhyun and grinned broadly at him with his heart-shaped lips.

The fact that Baekhyun didn't hurt himself when he turned his head so quickly was a miracle. His eyes widened and he gasped as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of his lungs. And that was only because the man he wanted to be close to was sitting in the corner. He heard Kyungsoo laughing softly and felt an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Here you go, a fateful yet accidental meeting. Good thing I have to go. I don't like to be the third wheel."

Kyungsoo’s warm hand left his shoulder and it was like a wake-up call. Then there also was the voice of the barista who was waiting for his order. Baekhyun's eyes fell on Chanyeol's empty mug and, smiling, he turned to the counter. "Two iced americanos. Grande, please."

With one finger, Chanyeol pushed up the glasses that had slid dangerously close to the tip of his nose and reached for his coffee mug, only to find that it was empty. He sighed. That was the second one and he didn't know if it was smart to get more caffeine. Just as he was about to return the mug, a hand appeared in his field of vision and a fresh Iced Americano was put down in front of him. He looked up jerkily and his mouth fell open when he saw Baekhyun sitting across from him and giving him a smile that robbed him of all air.

"Fuck," he breathed. "Am I dreaming?"

"Oh? You dream of me?” He heard Baekhyun's voice through the music of his headphones. Did he say that out loud?

Chanyeol quickly took off the headphones. "Happened before," he replied honestly and started grinning when he realized that this was the long-awaited chance meeting.

"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time, making each other laugh. Baekhyun gestured for Chanyeol to start.

“I went stir-crazy. I’ve been sitting in my apartment for days, working. I thought I could move my workplace somewhere else. So, I went for a walk in the park and found this café on the way back. The coffee is good and cheap, and the sofa is comfortable, too.”

"Oh, you draw?" Curiously, Baekhyun wanted to look at his laptop, but before he could sneak a look, Chanyeol closed the laptop with a small bang. Startled and eyes wide, Baekhyun leaned back.

"So-sorry," Chanyeol stammered and blushed. “I don't like it too much if someone sees my work in progress. Not that you are anyone but ... uhm ... ", he stammered on. "Artist’s secret until publication. It has nothing to do with you. Really.” Panicked, he bit his lower lip and his heart was pounding against his ribs. Baekhyun wasn’t supposed to find out that he was drawing him yet. And certainly not this way.

Baekhyun pouted slightly, but gave in. After all, he couldn't force the other. "I understand. But I would still like to see something from you. I've read various webtoons, but none of them were yours.”

"Are you sure? I publish my things under a pseudonym,” Chanyeol smiled slightly and took the fresh coffee. "Is it for me?"

Baekhyun nodded and reached for his own mug. "And what is the name?"

"I'll tell you at some point," Chanyeol winked at him when he got bolder again after Baekhyun didn’t voice any suspicions. "And what kind of webtoon are you reading right now? Or which one did you like best so far? Maybe I know some of them."

Baekhyun cocked his head slightly and thought hard. "Hm ... Butterfly Effect is interesting. Somehow, I feel very connected to the main character and see myself in him. That sounds crazy, doesn't it? But it's probably because Taeyang is a doctor. And has pink hair like I once had.” As if it wasn’t in any way conspicuous, he shrugged his shoulders, while Chanyeol could only give an artificial laugh. Taeyang looked exactly like Baekhyun. It was almost impossible he hadn't noticed.

"Hahaha, yes ... erm ... crazy. Uhm ... yes ... where were we? Ah yes, what are you doing here?” He had to distract him and change the subject as quickly as possible before it could get embarrassing for him.

"Oh, the hospital I work in is just around the corner. I just wanted to grab a quick coffee before I finish the report I still have to submit today. By the way, Kyungsoo was with me and I had to explain the cause of death to him in detail. Isn't it funny how small the world can be? How your best friend is the commissioner I've worked with on a few murder cases? I see him more often than I see you. Why didn't you become a cop? We would probably run into each other constantly.” How he was able to say it all with a pout was a mystery to Chanyeol, but he just couldn't help and stare at him. He was just so adorable. It was hard to believe that this man, who had such an innocent face and a radiance in his eyes only happy children on Christmas Day had, had to deal with death every day.

"I think I would be a terrible investigator," Chanyeol sighed. "I always think way too complicated."

"Sometimes you have to think around a few corners," Baekhyun said.

"I always think around a few corners, even if it's not necessary," Chanyeol laughed embarrassedly. "I often make it more complicated than it needs to be."

Baekhyun rested his head in his hand and stared at his counterpart. "Hm yes, you actually do."

"I have my principles," Chanyeol murmured, pressing his lips together.

"And I respect them. The only thing missing is an accidental meeting so that I can prove to you that I am not who you think I am."

Chanyeol's eyebrows rose defiantly. "You think you know what I think of you?"

"Partly." Baekhyun's smile grew a little forced. "You don't think I value relationships and prefer one-night stands. You are sure I see nothing in you but a good fuck. That I only got involved in this fate thing because I feel it is a game and I need the thrill to get me going. That I'm only nice to you because I want you."

Chanyeol shook his head. "No, I don't think that of you. At least not anymore. Not since Minseok Hyung's birthday.” His voice had dropped a bit. "I'm afraid to fall in love."

"In general or with me especially?"

"In general, but also especially with you. You ... you are great. Funny, beautiful and intelligent. You are a doctor. Make a lot of money. And me? What could I offer you? I draw mangas and make just enough money to make ends meet. You shine with knowledge. I only have the fantasies that I draw, make up stories."

“Imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited. As you said, I make a decent amount of money. That's why I don't need anyone to support me financially. I need someone who is interesting, who can make me laugh and who amazes me. Of course, satisfaction is also important, but that's irrelevant for now.”

"You really want this, huh?"

Baekhyun laughed. “I have eaten at Minseok’s four times a week for a reason. I kind of hoped to force a coincidence meeting with you. But fate could not be tricked, even by me."

"You did what?" Chanyeol laughed out loud.

"Hey," pouted Baekhyun. "I was and still am desperate."

"Oh god, you're really too cute for your own safety," Chanyeol smiled. Only by pure power of will could he pull himself together and not pinch Baekhyun's cheek or kiss him into a coma.

Baekhyun sighed softly. "Unfortunately, I have to go back to the hospital."

"That was a short interlude," Chanyeol muttered sadly.

"I'm sorry, but I still have to write my report before I go to Sehun’s birthday party."

"Oh, it's his birthday today?"

"Tomorrow, the brat turns 26," Baekhyun replied as he got up. "Why don't you come, too? We want to party into his birthday and go bowling. Do you know the bowling alley in Myeongdong? And before you say anything, yes, I know, this is not considered a coincidence meeting, but it also isn’t a date. Minseok will be there too and we are friends, right?” With a pleading puppy look he begged Chanyeol.

"But that's Sehun’s celebration. He didn't invite me and ... "

"Fuck that. I am his Hyung and if I want to have you with us, he has to deal with it."

"I don't know," Chanyeol muttered uncertainly, biting his lower lip.

Baekhyun leaned over the table and breathed a kiss on his mouth, hoping that bribery would be enough. "We'll meet at 9pm. Come over when you have made up your mind.” He grabbed his iced americano and swirled it around in the mug. "Luckily it was already cold anyway." With a wink he turned to go but at the last moment he looked over his shoulder. "By the way, you look really cute with glasses. Like a nerd."

Chanyeol stared at him speechlessly. What should he do?

*

"Hey Baek, let's go inside. Sehun and the others are already in there, waiting for us.”

"Five more minutes, Hyung," Baekhyun pleaded with Yixing. "If he hasn't come by then, I'll give up."

"We've been waiting for 15 minutes now. Sehun gets angry if we keep him waiting any longer. We can't reserve the bowling lane that long.” Yixing was right, Baekhyun knew that. But he also didn't want to give up hope that Chanyeol would come.

"Then go in and start without me. There are five of us, it won’t be an even game anyway."

The Chinese sighed defeatedly. "Hopelessly in love."

"I'm not in love," Baekhyun murmured, wrapping his arms around himself as it got colder.

"Of course not," Yixing smiled, rolling his eyes. "Whatever you say. Clever in the head, stupid in the heart."

Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something, but then someone called for him. Relieved, he closed his eyes for a moment and smiled blissfully to himself before turning.

"I'm not in love," Yixing mimicked him quietly and turned to the newcomer.

Chanyeol came to a stop in front of the two. "Sorry, I first had to take my dog to my sister. Toben hates being alone. And just like sisters are, they have to spill the latest family gossip. I swear she would have loved to talk my ear off.” Theatrically he rolled his eyes and Baekhyun's smile widened as he looked up at him. "I hope you didn't have to wait too long for me."

"Oh, just twenty minutes or so," Yixing started. "The little one here ... OOOOOW!" Before he could finish the sentence, Baekhyun had kicked him in the shin. He hadn't even bothered to be subtle.

"Let's go in," he said happily. "We don't have the lane forever."

"What was that for?" Yixing hissed and hobbled after the doctor, but Baekhyun skilfully ignored him. Instead, he reached for Chanyeol, who hurried after him and took his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Which it could be if they were a couple. But they simply missed that little detail. It just felt too good to hold the other's hand.

"I'm not in love," Yixing mimicked again. This caused Chanyeol to turn to him. He silently mouthed "does not apply to me" and winked at the club owner, whose mouth fell open.

"Oh Baekhyunnie, just don't mess this up."

The others had been waiting impatiently for them, and somehow nobody seemed to have been surprised that Chanyeol was there. Sehun even seemed relieved to see him at Baekhyun's side.

After getting their bowling shoes and some drinks, they sat down at their assigned lane.

"Since we had to wait for you, we decided that the three of us would play against you," Sehun announced, pointing to himself, Minseok and Jongdae.

"Okay," was all Baekhyun said and he took a spray bottle out of his pocket, which he sprayed his shoes with.

"What are you doing?" Jongdae asked confusedly.

"Disinfection," the doctor replied shortly.

"Don't you think they have already done this?"

“More than every second rental shoe is contaminated with infectious and harmful fungi and bacteria. The smallest organisms can reproduce particularly well in the warm, damp atmosphere of the shoes. Nail, foot and skin fungus pathogens can be found in rental shoes. Even Candida Albicans, one of the most common vaginal yeast infections,” said Baekhyun, spraying his shoes extensively. "By the way, socks don't protect."

"Luckily, we don't have vaginas, but ewwww, how does a vaginal yeast infection get into a shoe? Wait a minute, I don't think I want to know. Please keep it to yourself.” Disgusted, Sehun shook himself and held out his hand for the spray. "Gimme, I don't want vaginal yeast on my foot."

The spray made the rounds and everyone disinfected their shoes. Chanyeol was the last and handed it back to Baekhyun. "Lucky we have you with us. I don't think I'll ever see bowling shoes the way I used to.”

"I'm sorry," Baekhyun smiled wearily.

"No need to apologize," Chanyeol smiled back. "The best thing to do is buy my own."

"Do you play regularly?"

"He's almost a professional," Minseok said.

"Oh, I'm not that good, now," Chanyeol waved modestly, but his eyes sparkled with pride.

"At least we have someone on the team who can actually play," Baekhyun murmured, lacing up his shoes.

"Aren't you any good?" Chanyeol asked in surprise.

"I don't know, I've never played before," Baekhyun shrugged.

"Oh my god, really? Byun Baekhyun, what else have you missed out on in your life while you were a teenager and when you were a student?”

"A lot," he smiled wryly.

"I'll teach you," said Chanyeol, immediately determined. "Hey, can we do a trial run first so Baek gets a feel for the ball?"

"Just for the ball or for you, too?" Minseok mumbled, amused. He just had too much fun watching the two flirt.

While the other four were warming up, Chanyeol took Baekhyun to the neighbouring lane. "Okay, first choose a ball that is not too heavy for you."

The doctor nodded and examined the balls, lifting them one by one to test how heavy they were until he decided on a green one.

"Now show me what you can do. Then I know what I have to work on with you,” Chanyeol told him and Baekhyun did what he said. He took a swing and the ball slammed a little too hard on the track but at least didn't roll into the gutter. Five out of ten pins actually fell over. Disappointed, Baekhyun turned back to him.

"Okay ... okay, not as bad as I feared. You have to throw with more feeling. Get the ball and come here."

Wordlessly, Baekhyun picked up the green ball and went back to Chanyeol, who grabbed his shoulders and turned him to the lane. "Usually you take a little run-up and put the momentum into the throw, but we'll work on your feeling first." His deep voice was lowered and so close to Baekhyun's ear that he trembled slightly. He could feel Chanyeol's chest against his back and when his hand stroked down his arm until it reached his own hand and ball, he was about to tip over due to lack of oxygen. Breathing was important, he reminded himself. As a doctor, he should know this. He let Chanyeol lead him as if in a trance.

"Look straight ahead and target the pins. Don't lose sight of them while aiming."

"O-okay," he whispered sheepishly and quite breathlessly.

Chanyeol led his hand, took a swing with it and let it go as he ordered him to let go of the ball as well. This time the impact was much smoother and although the ball rolled quite slowly over the track, it didn't miss its target. Four out of five fell over.

"Oh wow," he breathed. "Is that the trick?"

"There are a lot more tricks and techniques, but we're not playing a tournament here," laughed Chanyeol. "Now try it alone with a run-up."

Euphoric about the success, Baekhyun nodded and grabbed the ball, took off and… eight pins fell over.” Enthusiastically he turned to Chanyeol, who gave him a satisfied thumbs up.

"Okay, let's play and win!"

Chanyeol would never have thought that Baekhyun was as ambitious as himself.

After two rounds and shortly before midnight, they decided to move on to a Noraebang, where they wanted to toast to Sehun’s birthday.

Baekhyun was euphoric because he, Chanyeol and Yixing had won both rounds. Even if it was more or less thanks to Chanyeol, since he had thrown one strike after another. But it wasn't just euphoria he felt. He couldn't help not finding Chanyeol sexy that night, wearing only a simple black t-shirt that hugged his torso perfectly, black, tight skinnies and chucks. He had styled the black hair from his face and only wore his wristwatch as an accessory. And just because the clothes were simple and tight, Chanyeol's body proportions were clearly visible. No wonder Baekhyun was tingling all over. He had undressed him several times with his eyes. But he couldn't repeat New Year’s Eve’s mistake, so he deliberately didn't drink alcohol in order to stay in control of his senses.

But non-alcoholic beer not only tasted watery, no, it also drove like water. "Go ahead. I have to go to the loo again."

"Can't you hold it in until we're there? It's only a few meters,” moaned Sehun.

"Nope, I would pee my pants. I'll be right there.” Without waiting for an answer, he stormed off to the toilets. His full bladder wouldn't have lasted a minute longer. He sighed in relief as he relieved himself. Afterwards he would have to splash some cold water on his face. He was getting ever hotter while watching Chanyeol.

When he stepped out of the cabin, he paused in surprise when he saw exactly the man who was responsible for his hot flashes leaning against the opposite wall. "Oh ... hey ... do you have to go to the loo, too?"

"No," the taller shook his head. "I told the others I'd wait for you, so you don't have to walk alone."

"I wouldn't have gotten lost," Baekhyun laughed softly and walked past him to the sink to wash his hands.

"I know ... and so do the others, probably. But I wanted to take advantage of the chance to be alone with you for a moment. Is that bad?"

The doctor shook his head and wiped his hands with a few paper towels. "No," he breathed. "I like to be alone with you."

"Thank you for talking me into coming along tonight. It is fun, really. And your friends are so nice. Even Sehun."

This made Baekhyun laugh. Sehun was prone to being misunderstood if you didn't really know him. Reduced to his appearance and his cool, distant look. He was anything but cool and distant. Shyness was often mistaken for arrogance. Just like in Sehun’s case. He was reserved with strangers, but when he had warmed up to someone, he was cheeky, but also kind-hearted. Chanyeol now seemed to have noticed this, too. "I told you he wouldn't mind if you came."

"You know," Chanyeol started and moved closer to him, "meeting you was the most beautiful coincidence in my life."

Baekhyun caught his breath as he looked up at him and sank into his eyes as if they were a lake of hot chocolate. And like hot chocolate, Chanyeol's eyes created that cosy feeling inside of him. And safety. He associated love, happiness, and affection with hot chocolate, probably because his grandmother had always prepared hot chocolate for him when he was sad.

Fuck, he started associating everything that was sweet and that he loved with Chanyeol. Was that normal?

"Sometimes the most dangerous animal to a human is the butterfly in their belly," Chanyeol muttered, staring at Baekhyun's mouth.

"Fuck butterflies!" It burst out of Baekhyun and he grabbed Chanyeol's collar. "I can feel the whole zoo when I'm with you." With a jerk he had pulled Chanyeol down to his eye level. Chanyeol made a surprised sound but didn't complain when he felt Baekhyun's mouth on his. He did not complain when the smaller man stuck his tongue into his mouth, nor when the smaller body nestled against his. Nestled against him like the missing piece of a puzzle. Every corner, every curve fit his body perfectly. Without breaking the kiss for even the fraction of a second, he grabbed Baekhyun's butt and lifted him up. The other man wrapped his legs around his waist and his arms around his neck as if his limbs were acting on their own accord. To better hold Baekhyun's weight, he pressed him against the tiles by the sink. It was only a few seconds before Baekhyun's crotch ground against his. Reluctant and slow at first, but when it became apparent that he was getting hard under the rhythm of their bodies, every movement grew better aimed and quicker.

They gasped and moaned almost obscenely into the kiss and it was music in their ears as it echoed from the tiles in the empty bathroom. And it only turned them on more.

"Oh fuck, Baekhyun," Chanyeol gasped as he pulled himself out of the kiss and latched his lips on to the other man's jaw instead. "We have to stop."

"You are hard. You can't hide anything in those tight pants,” Baekhyun whimpered when Chanyeol found the sensitive spot under his ear.

"Shit happens," Chanyeol breathed and kissed his way back to Baekhyun's mouth. "Stop grinding against me."

"I'm trying, but my body doesn't obey me," the smaller man pouted into the kiss. "Also, this feels way too good. Especially what I can feel of you."

"It looks good, too," Chanyeol whispered against his cheek.

Suddenly the doctor stopped and it was Chanyeol’s turn to try and touch him. "Let me down!" He ordered and when he was back on the ground, he pushed Chanyeol into one of the stalls.

"What are you doing?" Chanyeol's breath was shaky, just like Baekhyun’s, whose eyes wandered over Chanyeol's body.

"What were you thinking, looking so hot today?" the smaller one murmured, biting his lower lip as his gaze caught the well-defined bulge in the jeans. When he looked up again, his eyes were almost black with lust. Their looks merged as Baekhyun opened Chanyeols jeans and shoved his hand in until he could grab exactly what he was looking for.

Moaning, Chanyeol dropped his head against the wall. It had been a while since someone other than himself had touched his dick. His eyes closed as Baekhyun kissed his neck and nibbled at his ear, while steadily jerking him off with one hand and pulling his jeans and boxers down with the other until he was completely bared.

It wasn't until Baekhyun's lips left his neck that he opened his eyes. Realizing what was happening right then. Baekhyun dropped to his knees in front of him and he was paralyzed. This was against his principles, but he couldn't stop the smaller man, either. Not when he looked up at him so lovingly from below and held his cock in his hand, just a few inches from his mouth. "Don’t worry. I don't ask for anything in return. See it as a favour among friends."

"You don't just give a friend a blowjob," Chanyeol murmured. His knees were already weak like jelly and he had to hold on to the cabin wall with one hand.

"Friends don't kiss, either," countered Baekhyun.

"Touché," Chanyeol groaned. Fuck this shit. It was too late to stop anyway.


	5. Strawberry-Vanilla Shake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone gets sweaty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Life is such a bitch at the moment. Hope you are all well and healthy and please stay that way.  
> Little warning, in this chap suicide will be mentioned.

Baekhyun sceptically looked into the large mirror and pinched his side. He had actually put on some baby fat in the past few weeks and he was far from happy about it. He had never put much importance on having a very well-trained upper body. It had always been good enough for him to be slim, but after getting a taste of Chanyeol's body, his mind suddenly changed. Although Chanyeol had been out of the military for almost five months, he still had a toned upper body. Baekhyun had first noticed those abs while going down on him a few weeks ago when he’d pushed his T-shirt up during the blowjob. The fact that he hadn't choked on Chanyeol's dick at the sight was a miracle.

And although it had been a long time since Baekhyun’s last blowjob, his technique had probably not yet rusted because Chanyeol had reached his high in the matter of a few minutes. The absolute highlight of the whole thing had been Chanyeol's groans. Even now, weeks later, Baekhyun's ears reddened when he remembered the deep sounds, because those alone had been enough for him to cum into his boxer shorts. But maybe it was the mix of Chanyeol's groans and tugging at his hair that had brought him to his climax then. After that, he had been slightly embarrassed it had come that far. Chanyeol, on the other hand, thought it was cute. For the rest of the evening at the karaoke bar they pretended nothing had happened and belted out cheesy love songs and poppy party songs side by side. But their swollen lips had been a clear indication of their snogging, after all. This was nothing unusual for their friends, after all, they had already been able to watch them kiss. Even if it had been involuntary.

The weeks after Sehun’s birthday went quickly. Baekhyun had been busy, almost forgetting his birthday. He had only become painfully aware that he was turning a year older when Minseok gave him his birthday present. A one-year gym membership. Everyone knew that Baekhyun was more of a lazy sort of person, but after all the complaining about how unfit his body looked, the older man was finally at the end of his tether. Nobody really knew where Baekhyun's wish to have a toned body came from, but Minseok would be the last one who didn’t support him. And this gym was just perfect for Baekhyun. How perfect he found out a week after his birthday and after his trial training.

He had actually managed to get out of bed on Sunday morning and drag himself to the gym. His motivation was rather low and he would have much preferred to spend his day off sleeping and playing games for a long time. Minseok had always gushed about how sports cleared the head and that was exactly what Baekhyun needed urgently. A clear head. He had had several mysterious deaths on the table in the past two weeks. They all looked like suicides, only that he suspected they weren't. After the fifth victim in seven days, the police also thought it was strange and they started to look for patterns. The only information he could provide was how they died. That was his job, but he still thought about it a lot. The victims had all been so young and still had had their whole lives ahead of them.

With a sigh, he turned away from the mirror and found a playlist on his cell phone as he walked to the treadmills. A few days ago, he had put together various playlists especially for sport. Suitable for every training. Fast beats for endurance training and mid-speed numbers for strength training. A mix of Korean and Western songs. He thought rap music was great for weightlifting. And running on the treadmill really helped clear his head. But there was one thing he hated there. He felt constantly watched. The gym was for men and women and quite a few times he had been gawked at by both genders and literally been checked out. Since then, he only wore long jogging pants during training to avoid greedy looks on his thighs and buttocks.

He was not a prude, he just wanted to be left alone. Flirting was not on his agenda. Especially when the flirt partner wasn't Chanyeol. As funny as it sounded, he felt he was cheating on Chanyeol. Which of course was complete nonsense, after all they weren’t even dating. At least not yet.

15 minutes on the treadmill were at least 10 minutes hell for him. When did he lose his stamina? It was almost embarrassing how much he panted. How was he going to get through with sex for long nights? He couldn't impress Chanyeol with that. And it made him nervous. Especially since he knew what Chanyeol had been in the past. In the years as a so-called fuckboy, he had surely often had breath-taking sex. But how could Baekhyun keep up when he already felt like dying after ten minutes of physical exertion?

With some quick taps, he shifted down a few gears so that he no longer had to run like a madman. Level six and a half for leisurely jogging was enough for him, after all, he wanted to survive the 20 minutes that he had given himself. But the moment he looked up from the display again, he almost ended his short life by stumbling over his own feet in shock and faceplanting. If he hadn't caught himself in time and pressed the emergency stop button, the employees could have scraped him off the wall. Gasping for air and with his heart racing, he collapsed over the display. It had been a close call, and all because a grinning Chanyeol with arms folded across his chest and a towel around his neck had suddenly appeared in front of him. He’d just stopped grinning and looked at him worried instead.

"Hey are you okay?"

"No," Baekhyun whined. "I almost died because of you. I could have broken my neck. What are you doing here?” He looked up at the taller one with self-pity.

"Now you're over-dramatizing. Perhaps you would have broken your nose, but not your neck.”

"Do you really want to discuss what could and what couldn't have happened with a doctor? Depending on how I would have fallen, a broken neck could very well have happened. Or I could have hit my head on the wall behind me or on the floor. Fracture of the base of the skull is a life-threatening injury and believe me, you wouldn't have thought it would be great if my brain drained out of my nose, ears and mouth."

"I wouldn’t have found any injury cool," Chanyeol answered dryly.

Slowly - very slowly - Baekhyun recovered from the shock and straightened up again. Because he was still on the treadmill, he was eye to eye with Chanyeol. "You still haven't said what you're doing here."

“We are in a gym. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm training here. I definitely don't come here for coffee.”

Baekhyun blinked at him in surprise. "Have you always come here? Since when?"

"Every other day and since I've been out of the military. I have to maintain my body somehow.” Chanyeol raised his eyebrows sceptically. "Why?"

Baekhyun groaned as he put two and two together. "Wow, what a clever act."

"What are you talking about?"

“Minseok gave me a one-year membership for this studio. He probably knew that you also train here."

“Of course, after all, he had recommended this studio to me because he is doing his weightlifting here. But why did he come up with the idea of giving you a membership?” Confused, Chanyeol stroked the sweaty hair from his face and only then did Baekhyun notice how hot the other looked sweaty. Beads of sweat ran down his temples and made his tanned skin shine. In a somewhat sick way, Baekhyun got the urge to lick Chanyeol's skin.

"As you may have seen, I was working on my stamina."

"No, I could see how you were dying here," laughed the younger, amused. "You were running like you had zombies tailing you."

"I wouldn't have to run very fast, seeing as they move so slowly," snapped Baekhyun.

"You've probably never seen World War Z. These beasts run as fast as Usain Bolt,” Chanyeol nodded seriously.

"Oh, you compare me to Bolt? Then I must have been really fast.”

The taller man shook his head, laughing. "I did not say that. I said the zombies run like Bolt. You would have been easy prey for them."

Baekhyun stared at him for a moment before he found his tongue again. "I wonder why I like you at all."

"I honestly ask myself that, too," Chanyeol murmured, escaping Baekhyun's gaze by turning his head to the right, pretending to look out the window.

"Oh God Yeol, I didn't mean that," Baekhyun blurted out guiltily when he realized what he had said. Kyungsoo had warned him that Chanyeol was insecure with him and he also had to rub salt into the wound. How stupid could he be? "That was a joke. To tell you the truth, I can immediately come up with a dozen reasons why I like you and only half of it has to do with the fact that you are incredibly hot and I want to lick the sweat off your clavicle. Shit, did I really say that out loud?"

Chanyeol had to fight a smile. Slowly and with a straight face, he turned back to the smaller one, who was tripping off the treadmill and hurrying to him. "Name three that have nothing to do with my appearance."

"I like your laugh because it's so contagious. You are so open and fair, and I can't get enough of how you look at me,” Baekhyun gabbled the words out and gripped Chanyeol's wrists with both hands.

"How so? Because I look at you like a fool in love?” Chanyeol asked softly, surprising the other to the point of speechlessness. Baekhyun blinked disbelievingly before clearing his throat.

"Erm ... no ... I actually meant that you don't see me as a crazy nerd," Baekhyun breathed. Luckily his blush wasn’t really noticeable, seeing as his face was still red from working out.

"Oh, I see you as a crazy nerd, but that's exactly what I like about you."

"And ... and you ... are you ... erm ... is that right?" The doctor stuttered incoherently.

"Am I what?" Confused, Chanyeol frowned and stroked his hair again. This gesture drew Baekhyun's attention to the other's new hairstyle. The ex-soldier's hair had grown quite a bit since they first saw each other. With one hand he held back the hair at the back of his head and exposed an undercut. With the combination of exposed biceps and a tattoo on his forearm, Chanyeol's appearance encouraged wild, R-rated fantasies.

"In love. With me."

"Have you already trained on the equipment today?" Chanyeol tried to divert and suddenly looked quite nervous.

Baekhyun shook his head in confusion.

"Then come on, let’s train together. Whatever reason you have to pimp your already beautiful body, I’m the last one who wouldn’t support you.“ He turned and went to the fitness equipment.

Baekhyun bit his lower lip and looked after him before grabbing his water bottle and following quickly.

"Seriously, why did Minseok Hyung give you a membership?" Chanyeol asked half an hour later and helped Baekhyun by taking the weight off and putting it back in its holder.

"Maybe there was a bonus when he recruited new members," the smaller one snorted and lay motionless on the weight bench. "Or he really wanted to be smart and make us meet here."

"Yes, but why just give it to you? Just because?"

"Maybe he didn't know what else to get me for my birthday," Baekhyun shrugged and straightened. His arms felt like pudding. He stared enviously at Chanyeol's biceps. How long would he have to train to become as presentable as him?

"Bi-Birthday? It was your birthday?” If Chanyeol still had a barbell in his hand, he would have dropped it in shock. He had known that Baekhyun was a May-child, after all, the older man had indicated that he was half a year older, but it could also have been possible that his birthday was later in May. "When?"

"A week ago."

"Fuck!" Chanyeol swore under his breath and tore at his hair. "I wanted to give you something and now I have nothing."

"Hey, you didn't know. It's not like I told you the exact date. I don't care so much about birthdays. I didn't even celebrate because I was too busy, flooded with work.”

"Didn't you even have a cake?" asked the younger one in shock and his expression turned horrified when the doctor shook his head. "Wow, so … no, that’s not right." He snatched Baekhyun's wrist and pulled him up from the weight bench. "We're finished for today." He dragged the smaller one behind him, who stumbled after him in confusion.

"Hey, what are you up to?"

"I'm going to buy you a cake and we'll celebrate your birthday together. And you can decide what we do together. "

"Oh wow," breathed Baekhyun. "You are very brave. Who knows what I might ask for."

They stopped in the locker room and Chanyeol turned to him. "I trust you to respect me and choose nothing that might jeopardize our relationship."

"Hey," the young doctor whispered suddenly. "Are you aware that this is our second chance meeting?"

Chanyeol smiled wryly. "Yes ... finally."

"What does that mean for us now?" Baekhyun asked carefully, freeing his wrist from Chanyeol's firm grip.

"It means that at the end of the day I will ask you for a proper date and I will go home with your number on my cell phone."

"That sounds good," Baekhyun beamed at him, but his smile collapsed as Chanyeol started undressing. "W-What are you doing?"

"Undress? You should too,” Chanyeol replied dryly, pulling his shorts off so that he was standing in front of the doctor in only his underwear, who couldn't get his mouth shut. "Or do you want to shower in your clothes?"

"Take a shower? Together? Here?” Baekhyun's voice was unnaturally high, at least one or two octaves higher than usual.

"Well, gyms only have communal showers," Chanyeol shrugged. "Are you afraid of what you might see? Or of what I might see? If I may remind you, about three weeks ago you had my cock in your mouth. I think we can skip the shyness."

Baekhyun chewed on his lower lip. The problem wasn't that it was a communal shower. It didn't bother him that he had to shower with others. They were all strangers. He wouldn’t have a problem with taking a shower with his friends because they were his friends. But Chanyeol was Chanyeol. He was not a stranger, but neither was he one of his friends. His fear was more that he got turned on in the shower and that really was the last thing he needed now. A hard-on in public. He also wasn’t satisfied with his body and actually he didn’t want to present himself to Chanyeol yet. Even if the taller one had described his body as beautiful ... what had he seen of him so far?

"Don't break your pretty head over this," Chanyeol laughed. "Let's take a back to back shower if you'd prefer."

Baekhyun nodded silently and slowly undressed. Chanyeol was walking towards the shower, naked like God had made him, and with a fresh towel around his neck. Baekhyun took a deep breath as he stared after him. "Okay, think of water corpses. Nasty, swollen, green corpses. Or cucumbers. Cucumbers do it, too,” he muttered to himself as he followed Chanyeol to the shower with his towel around his waist. Fortunately, the other one had turned his back to him. "I'm here," he whispered, barely audible, and turned on the water in the neighbouring shower.

"Okay," Chanyeol grinned mischievously. "But you know that sooner or later I'll see you naked."

"First, let's wait for the first date. Maybe you don’t want to see me anymore afterwards, let alone naked,” Baekhyun murmured.

"I doubt it," Chanyeol laughed. "And do you already know what you want to do today?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Let yourself be surprised."

*

"I honestly expected a lot, but not that you would take me home and dye my hair." Chanyeol sat stiffly on a chair in Baekhyun's living room while the doctor was working on his hair. "What’s that smell?"

"Oxidants. I have to bleach your hair before I put the colour on."

"Oh my god, what have I gotten myself into? You know what you're doing, right? I really don’t want my hair to fall out and have to wear an army hairstyle again. Those 20 months have been long enough for me.” The taller closed his eyes pleadingly.

"Don't you trust me?" Asked Baekhyun, playing hurt. "I usually dye my hair myself. I only got my white hair done by a professional."

"And what are you going to do to me? Please not orange or something awful like that,” Chanyeol pleaded and looked up at the other man, who was dancing around him a little awkwardly.

"I have some colour left over from my last dyeing session. Throwing them away would be a waste,” Baekhyun muttered, but took a deep breath when Chanyeol grabbed him by the waist and pulled him between his spread legs so he could get closer and had better access to his hair.

"And that means I'm going pink?" He laughed incredulously. "I don't think it suits me as well as you."

"I think it will suit you. You wear black clothes all the time and your hair will bring some colour into play. Pink also goes well with black.”

"Are you going to tell me that you think I’m boring?" Pouting, the younger man looked up at him while pressing his hip gently.

"No, what I'm saying is that I like pink," Baekhyun laughed. "Would you like to let go of me now?" Giggling, he wiggled his hips.

"No," Chanyeol continued to pout.

"But I'm done. Do you really want to hold me like this for the next hour? That’s definitely going to become boring."

"It's never boring to look at you," Chanyeol murmured. "And touching you even less so. And do you know what is definitely not boring?"

"You’re probably going to tell me."

"Kissing you." With an expectant glow in his eyes, Chanyeol pursed his lips, but the only thing he could feel on his mouth was Baekhyun's hand.

"I won't kiss you when you stink of oxidizing agents." The older man took a step back, shaking his head. "Let's eat the cake while the bleaching takes effect. I don't want you to have bought the strawberry cake for nothing."

Chanyeol's hands slipped from Baekhyun's waist as he surrendered. "Okay, after all, this is your ‘birthday’."

"Exactly," Baekhyun nodded and took Chanyeol's hand to pull him up from the chair. "One week too late, but that's just minor details." Amused, he winked at him and dragged him through the living room into the kitchen. There he sat his guest down at the table.

The kitchen was big. A dream for Chanyeol who really liked cooking. He was far from perfect at it and he certainly lacked practice in some dishes, but he enjoyed it and that was all that mattered. The kitchen cupboards were black, and the kitchen appliances gleamed in chrome. The kitchen unit was placed against a red brick wall and the floor looked like it was made of plain concrete if it wasn’t for the fact that it glittered when the sunlight hit it just right. The kitchen furnishings would be best described as industrial style. 

"You know, for describing my style of clothing as dull, you don't exactly furnish your apartment in a colourful way. Grey sofa, dark wood floor and a black chair in the living room and a black kitchen to top it off. Unless you’re going to surprise me with a pink bedroom,” Chanyeol chuckled as Baekhyun put plates on the table and took knives and cutlery from a drawer.

“I did incorporate the yellow accents in my living room. Because yellow is actually one of my favourite colours. But couldn’t just make it all yellow, that would have been horrifying. Sehun helped me with the setup, because in his opinion I don’t have a knack for style. I actually took over the kitchen from the previous tenant.” Noisily he licked the cream off his fingers after he had cut the cake. "And no, my bedroom is not pink. Maybe you’ll get to see it sometime."

"Oh, I won’t get a tour of the rest of the apartment?" Chanyeol pouted, disappointed.

"The tour ends in the bathroom for today when I wash your hair," Baekhyun smiled mildly. "We'll leave the highlight for another time." He sat down with him and started eating the cake.

For a while they quietly enjoyed the sweetness of the juicy strawberries and sipped the coffee that Baekhyun had made.

"Why didn’t you celebrate your birthday?" Chanyeol interrupted the silence between them. It wasn't that it made him uncomfortable. Surprisingly, he even found it pleasant that he had found someone in Baekhyun who he didn’t have to force conversation with, but he was curious.

"I had a lot of work," the doctor murmured with his mouth full before swallowing. “In the past two weeks I have had strange deaths on my table. Apparently, everything looks pretty harmless. Okay, no death is harmless, but what I mean by that is that it’s not a cause of death from violence caused by someone else. The police filed it all away as suicides in the first week."

Chanyeol straightened up excitedly. Baekhyun had never really told him about his cases before, and it thrilled him that he finally did. He found the other’s job exciting and after all the doctor was his muse. Everything he heard and learned from him; he could use for his story. Amended, of course. "But you're thinking of something else, aren't you?"

"Hm," the older man nodded thoughtfully. "Yes ... well ... they are suicides. Farewell letters were always found. After the third body I started to doubt it, though. Three young people from different parts of the city commit suicide within 5 days. Many would say that this is nothing out of the ordinary with the pressure and stress that students are under, but all three were good students and very popular, too. None of the three had previously shown signs of depression. Two new cases were added two days later. The same thing again. Youthful, popular and the prospect of a bright future. From there on, the police were also starting to get suspicious."

"How did they kill themselves? Is there a connection?” Chanyeol asked excitedly.

"In different ways. There are now ten dead. Three killed themselves with an overdose of sleeping pills. Four cut their wrists and two drowned themselves in the bathtub."

"And the tenth? You forgot one."

"No, I did not. I only had the boy on the table yesterday. His father is a policeman in Gangnam, and he shot himself with his father's gun.” Baekhyun dropped his eyes and stared into the coffee. "I know the cop."

"Oh fuck!" Chanyeol breathed. "And now?"

"Now they are investigating under high pressure and trying to find connections between the victims. Is there anything that drove them to take this step?” The young doctor sighed deeply. "They were children, Chanyeol. None of them was over 16. They still had their whole lives ahead of them. I don’t understand it."

"I hope the police find something," Chanyeol murmured and took Baekhyun's hand. He drew small circles on the back of his hand with his thumb.

"Me too. I've seen a lot of bad things in my career so far, but nothing is as bad as having a child or teenager on your table.” He looked up again with a faint smile. “That's why I try to go to the gym as often as possible. Running actually clears my head, even though I'm almost killing myself, too. Maybe that's why,” he laughed. "I'm busy getting enough air in my lungs so that I can’t think about death."

"Those must be a pleasant five minutes without thoughts," Chanyeol grinned cheekily.

"Yah!" Baekhyun exclaimed, kicking Chanyeol's leg under the table. Fortunately, a tiny, socked foot didn't hurt too much, so Chanyeol didn't even grimace. "It was 15 minutes. And I'm slowly increasing it,” he added pouting.

"Sorry, sorry," Chanyeol laughed. "My mistake. Forgive me."

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and got up. "I think we can wash out the bleach."

"Finally," groaned the taller one. "The stench is almost unbearable."

"Crybaby," Baekhyun groaned and shooed him into the bathroom.

"Oh wow," Chanyeol commented on the bathroom as he stepped inside. "What a surprise. It’s black and white and grey."

Baekhyun just rolled his eyes and pointed to the bathtub. "Kneel down!"

"Oh, that sounds promising," Chanyeol chuckled and knelt in front of the bathtub.

"Not today," Baekhyun replied shortly, turning on the water.

“The shower looks very inviting. Have you ever had sex in it?"

"No! This apartment is still a virgin. I only moved here in December.” A little roughly, he pushed Chanyeol's head into the tub. "Now hold still, otherwise we'll both get wet."

"Have you had sex since New Year's Eve?" Chanyeol asked, steadfast.

"Uhm ... do you really want to know that?" Baekhyun asked uncertainly.

"If you answer that way, it means yes," Chanyeol murmured, and Baekhyun could hear the other man's disappointment in his voice.

"I didn't know if we would ever run into each other again. I was frustrated and well ... it wasn't really good."

"Male or female?"

"Both," was all the smaller said.

"Do you miss it?"

"What?"

"Sex."

"Who doesn't miss it?"

"With a woman?"

"No. I'm finally done with that.”

"Not bi anymore?"

"I never was."

Surprised by Baekhyun's words, Chanyeol raised his head slightly. Fortunately, the other one had already turned off the water. A towel landed on his head, blocking his view as he straightened up completely.

"Rub your hair dry, I'll mix the colour."

"But you were with a woman," said Chanyeol while doing as he was told.

"Yes, but I was never in love with a woman. I was only with them because I was expected to be with them,” he heard the doctor's voice a little further away.

"How do you mean?"

"I'm not completely out. For example, the people I work with don't know I'm gay. Actually, only my friends and my Eomma know. Not even my Appa or my Hyung know about it. In order to keep up appearances and not endanger my job, I tried these relationships. Love had never been involved. That's probably why I always ran away."

He came back with a bowl of pink paste and indicated that Chanyeol should sit on the toilet. He wanted to do this part in the bathroom. The fear of ruining his living room with the hair dye was too great. Chanyeol followed the order like an obedient puppy and settled on the toilet seat.

"So far you haven't run away from me."

"I have no reason to. I'm more likely to run after you,” Baekhyun smiled softly.

"Is it important to you to keep up appearances?" This question was important to Chanyeol. He had to know if he was just a little dirty secret for the other.

"Not anymore," sighed Baekhyun. “I don't think I have to prove that I'm doing my job well anymore. But to be honest, I'm afraid how my Appa and my Hyung would react to it."

"How did your Eomma react?"

“She cried for four days. Not because I find men more interesting, but rather because she cannot become a grandmother to my children. She thinks it’s a shame that I waste my good genes like this. She still loves me, though, and that's all that matters. What about you?"

"Kinda similar. Well, she didn't cry for my good genes. My sister said that it’s a relief I won’t pass on my ears. Too bad she has the same problem as me, though.” With a grin, he pointed to his ears. "Just because she got hers operated doesn't mean that her future children won't be punished."

"I think they’re cute," Baekhyun smiled.

"And I think you're cute," Chanyeol grinned, watching Baekhyun's face carefully as he applied the hair colour, very careful not to miss a spot.

"I am not," Baekhyun grumbled and blushed.

"You are, don't argue with me. Let me be right once."

"Stop it or I'll dye your eyebrows pink," the doctor threatened with a glowing face, but Chanyeol just laughed because Baekhyun was as scary as a Corgi puppy growling at his toy.

They left the hair colour on Chanyeol's head for twenty minutes before deciding to rinse it out. While waiting, they had zapped through the evening's television program and exchanged phone numbers so that they could finally talk outside of their meetings. From now on, they no longer had to leave it to fate to see each other.

"I'm afraid that when you rinse the dye out, all my hair will fall off my head," wailed Chanyeol, kneeling in front of the tub and hanging his head over the edge like before.

"You really don't trust me," laughed Baekhyun, massaging the back of the other’s head as the water ran through his hair and turned the white tub pink.

"You are a great doctor, but I don't know if you are a great hairdresser, too."

"Your hair won't fall out. It’ll only need a little more care than before. And if you don't like the colour, we can always dye it black again,” he was reassured by the doctor slash hairdresser.

Chanyeol grunted softly, which then turned into an enjoyable sigh and eventually a groan. "Mhhhmmmm, your head massage is already 10 out of 10. I would definitely recommend it. So, they’re not just beautiful hands, but magical ones, too."

Baekhyun giggled softly and gave the back of his head a slight pat when he was done, followed by a towel that landed over his head again. "And how do you think you’ll pay me?”

Grinning, Chanyeol straightened up and turned to the older one. "You were allowed to dye my hair pink. Isn't that payment enough?"

Pouting, Baekhyun shook his head and wiped a few drops of water from Chanyeol's face with the tip of the towel. In Chanyeol's presence, he became so, so soft. He made him completely forget his worries without doing anything special. Things he would normally rack his brain were completely in the background and he could only concentrate on the tall artist in front of him. All the time his eyes were fixed on Chanyeol's face and the other didn’t miss it. The taller man gently grasped Baekhyun's face with his hands and leaned down to him. The towel slid a little over his eyes, but he didn't let it bother him.

"I'll pay you with kisses. With very, very, very many smooches.” No sooner said than done. Without further warning, he attacked Baekhyun's face with small kisses. He littered every inch of his face with tenderness, which made the other giggle.

"Yeol! Yeol stop. That tickles,” giggled the smaller one and pressed his hands to Chanyeol's chest to push him away from him.

"No, no ... you wanted payment. Now you have to live with it,” Chanyeol shook his head, tightened his grip on Baekhyun's neck and pressed his lips to Baekhyuns, who gasped against his mouth. It was only a short kiss, but it still made Baekhyun weak in the knees and he had to hold on to Chanyeol's upper arms. "I've been waiting for this all day," Chanyeol murmured. "I'm amazed at the strength I've shown."

Baekhyun licked his lips and smiled slightly as he freed himself from Chanyeol's grip and pulled the towel off his head. "Look at the result."

The now pink-haired man turned to the mirror and examined his new appearance. "I look like a strawberry," he laughed, stroking his still soaked hair.

"I love strawberries," burst out Baekhyun.

"And I vanilla," Chanyeol grinned when the smaller one appeared in the reflection next to him. "We look like a strawberry and vanilla shake."

"You like the taste or the sex?" Baekhyun asked with a cheeky wink.

"Both!"

Baekhyun's right eyebrow shot up. "Really? To be honest, I wouldn't have thought of you as the vanilla type.”

“I can be anything in bed and I might not have been the type for it in the past, but I think with the right partner Vanilla can be very nice. Long, tender, extensive sex. I'm in for it,” Chanyeol shrugged.

Baekhyun swallowed hard. That sounded really tempting. "Do you have a boundary?"

"Yes, no violence. I don't give any and don't want to get any. I don't count pats on the butt, though. That's okay. Why are we talking about do’s and don’t’s in bed now?"

Baekhyun took the towel from him and pulled him back into the living room. There he pushed him onto the couch and started rubbing his hair dry. "I think it's important to know what the other likes and what he doesn't. Especially when you want it to work. This is how you avoid disappointments."

"Okay." Chanyeol nodded in understanding and put his hands around Baekhyun's waist. Carefully but decisively, he pulled him onto his lap, but let the other one keep on drying his hair. When he felt Baekhyun's weight on his thighs, he wrapped his arms completely around his middle. "Let’s talk about it. I mean, we want to date. This fact will lead us to sex sooner or later, though I expect rather sooner.”

"No sex on the first date," Baekhyun said seriously and put the towel aside.

"Oh wow, I didn't expect that." Chanyeol was amazed. "Is that a general rule with you?"

"No, but I still want to prove to you that I am not someone who is only out for sex and takes the first opportunity to get it. I want to build trust.” Waiting, Baekhyun pressed his lips together.

"You don't have to prove anything to me anymore, Baek. For example, you would have had enough opportunity to seduce me today and you didn't even try once.”

"Thanks," he murmured sheepishly. "I'm pretty much pulling myself together."

"And I appreciate that about you. Okay, the most important thing we need to know is: Top, Bottom, Switch? I’m guessing you’re either a top or a switch, after all, you also slept with women."

"Switch," Baekhyun replied. "But I actually prefer to be bottom. It’s enough if I have to do all the work for women. I hope you have nothing against a power bottom."

"Ohhhh, most definitely not," Chanyeol laughed. "So, no whiny, submissive bottom?"

"Depends on the situation and the mood. I also like to be manhandled. And you?"

"Top, but I would switch if you want. It's not really my thing, but as I said, even the vanilla sex becomes exciting with the right partner.”

Baekhyun took a deep breath. The conversation about the sex they could potentially have had excited him, and he knew Chanyeol could feel it against his thigh. Chanyeol's lips found their way to meet his and it didn’t make the situation any better. Chanyeol playfully bit and nibbled at his lower lip. A throaty whimper escaped the older man’s lips when warm kisses covered his jaw before full lips sucked onto his throat. Chanyeol shoved his hands under Baekhyun's T-shirt and let his fingertips brush lightly over his bare skin on the back. A tremor ran through Baekhyun's body and he had to pull himself together in order not to rub his hard dick against Chanyeol's thigh just to feel a little pressure.

"Hey," the taller whispered softly. "Don’t hold back. Ride my leg."

"No ... that ... that's not part of the deal," Baekhyun gasped, eyes closed.

"The blowjob hadn't been part of it, either," Chanyeol reminded him of their adventure in the men's room. "You are hard, and it is still not real sex. So ... you have my permission to use me."

"For sure? It's not a test or something?"

Chanyeol shook his head and let his hands slide from his back to his full butt, which he grabbed and kneaded. "Come on!"

As if by itself, Baekhyun’s pelvis started to circle rhythmically on Chanyeol's thigh and that was the most erotic sight the younger man had ever witnessed. "Kiss me!" He ordered the doctor, who did not hesitate and pushed his lips on his in a passionate and stormy kiss.

The television covered the sounds they were making only just so. Baekhyun was loud and Chanyeol was all the more excited. It was a mix of heavy breathing and moaning, the rustle of fabric on fabric and the smacking sound of kissing, too wet and too greedy.

Breathing heavily, Baekhyun buried his face at Chanyeol's throat, chasing his orgasm. "Fuck, I feel like a hormonal teen. Or like a dog humping its master's leg. This is so embarrassing."

Chanyeol gave a throaty laugh and slipped his hands into Baekhyun's sweatpants. The skin of his butt was as soft as a baby's, but that didn't stop him from grabbing it hard. He would probably leave red fingerprints as he massaged him through his choppy movements that indicated his imminent climax. He spread tender kisses on Baekhyun's cheek and temple to contrast the passion of the moment until the smaller one came with a relieved groan.

Whimpering and embarrassed, Baekhyun hid his face against Chanyeol's neck as he gasped. It was the best orgasm he had had in a long time, and it was sad, considering it hadn't even been real sex.

Smiling with satisfaction, Chanyeol kissed him on the temple and stroked his white hair with one hand while the other patted his ass lightly.

"Thank you," Baekhyun mumbled into the fabric on his shoulder.

"It was a pleasure."

"And what about you? Should I …"

"Don’t worry. It was about you and not about me. I'm fine,” interrupted the younger of the two.

"You sure?" Baekhyun straightened up doubtfully. His face was still red.

"Yes, very sure. And maybe I should go now before I change my mind."

Baekhyun put his hand on Chanyeol's right cheek and ran a thumb across his cheekbones before reaching out to kiss him. This time much slower and more tender than before. "Hey, my strawberry, didn't you want to ask me something at the end of the day?"

Chanyeol smiled into the kiss. "Baekhyun, would you go on a date with me?"

"I’d like that very much," breathed the older one.


	6. It was about time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally the first date ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I hope next time I will be a bit faster.

The sun was shining. It would have been perfect. Not too hot, but warm and pleasant. It would have been so nice, especially at the river. But it never goes as planned and certainly not for Chanyeol and Baekhyun. No sooner had they exchanged their numbers in order to finally meet for a decent date than Chanyeol had to travel to Ulsan on very short notice. His grandmother had been hospitalized and it looked like she was in a bad way. He’d had to pack quickly and had gone to the port city with his mother and sister very hastily. Just to find out it had been a false alarm. Grandma Park was really in the hospital, but she was far from even thinking about dying. Especially as long as her youngest grandson still wasn’t married. Chanyeol hadn't had the heart to admit to the old lady that he would never get married in this country because he was gay. He ended up spending three weeks in Ulsan before returning to Seoul. There was enough work waiting for him, after all... and Baekhyun.

During these weeks, they’d texted and talked on the phone each on a daily basis. They’d given updates about their days almost every hour and talked deep into the night about Baekhyun's latest curious deaths. Most of the time, the younger only hung up when he heard the doctor whimpering at the other end. At first, he had been a little disturbed and could not make out these puppy-like sounds until he noticed that Baekhyun made them when he was sleeping. Not always, but when he was particularly tired and exhausted, he could often be mistaken for a dreaming puppy. And this made Chanyeol's heart swell. Since then he had been calling Baekhyun “puppy”. Quiet and in secret, of course, since he didn't want to admit to the older man that he had him wrapped around his finger and that he was totally fond of him.

Before he returned home three weeks later, they had arranged for their long-awaited date for the weekend. It should have been a picnic in Hangang Park. A romantic one at sunset and with a stroll along the river. Chanyeol had already planned exactly what he wanted to get and prepare for their meal. Because if he could do something, it was cooking. He must have learned something from his mother, who owned a restaurant before starting a catering company. The joy of cooking was in his blood, even if he wasn't perfect at it. He had recipes that made him shine and those that still needed practice. But it would have been enough for a picnic. Only, nothing came of it as he stumbled on the stairs on the big day they had longed for so much and had twisted his ankle. In no time it had been blue and swollen. Standing was painful and so walking was impossible.

When he called Baekhyun to tell him about his accident and to postpone the date, he showed understanding, but did not agree to postpone the date. They’d waited long enough for this day, after all. So, a new plan had to be made. Baekhyun wanted to get food after work and they’d simply move the date to Chanyeol's apartment. There would be other picnics and sunsets and overly planned romance wasn’t really his thing anyway. It wasn’t that he had anything against romance, but the planned kind felt a little fake and dishonest. In the end, Chanyeol was glad he almost fell down the stairs.

Not knowing exactly when Baekhyun would come over, he sat at his desk by the window in his sweatpants and a white T-shirt and worked on his webtoon. Toben was lying between his feet, chewing on his toy. The work also distracted him a bit from the nervousness that was trying to spread through him. After all, it was their first official date. Even if they had seen each other five times before, if by chance, it was special this time. A date usually paved the way for a steady relationship. And that was what Chanyeol wanted. He wanted to be with Baekhyun, get to know him better, and fall in love with him more. His drawings showed that he felt deeply for the young doctor. His main character Taeyang became more and more detailed and adapted to Baekhyun's hair colour change. Even the fans of his series speculated that the artist must be very in love with his character.

Just as he was about to fill in the background of the last picture with details and colour, the doorbell rang. Startled, he looked up from his graphic tablet for the first time in hours and was surprised to find that the sun was already setting. He must have spent a long time drawing. When the doorbell rang again, he flipped the screen down and let his eyes slide over the little chaos in his apartment. It wasn't dirty, but there were some unnecessary things he could have stowed away before his guest arrived. But it was too late for that now because the doorbell rang for the third time. Toben had rushed to the door and cheered through the wood and at the visitor. This dog was just too social. Chanyeol was already aware that his dog would pretend that he got no affection in this household. His main objective was always to get more belly scratches and treats.

He limped to the door with his injured foot. He would normally have pushed Toben aside with it, but it would have hurt too much. So, he just hoped his dog would behave and not run out. "Toben, stay!" he ordered the black poodle as he opened the door. As expected, Baekhyun stood in front of him. Effortlessly beautiful in blue jeans and a black T-shirt, hair still white, but without any obvious effort put into it. Still, he glowed more than a perfectly styled idol ever could. He was heavily packed. In one hand he held two white bags from which a delicious fragrance wafted towards him. In the other, he was holding a six-pack and another pack was tucked under his arm.

"Hey babe," the smaller man greeted him with a wry grin and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth by standing on his tiptoes. "I brought us chicken and beer. Where should I put it?"

Chanyeol blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected this greeting. Above all, the "babe" threw him a little off track. During all the calls and messages in the past three weeks, they had never given each other nicknames. The fact that Baekhyun called him Yeol had been the greatest feeling so far and if he wanted to hear Baekhyun stutter, he just had to call him Hyung. 

"Kitchen," he stammered, still a bit surprised, and stepped aside to let his guest into the apartment. "Just straight ahead. You can't miss it in this small apartment,” he murmured ashamedly. He hoped that Baekhyun was also comfortable in his tiny apartment. Their apartments couldn't be more different. Of course, the difference in their salaries also played a role. They were just worlds apart. But Baekhyun simply nodded with a smile.

"All right!" he sang cheerfully and went ahead, closely followed by Toben, who followed the scent of the chicken with his nose held up high in excitement, while Chanyeol's eyes were glued to Baekhyun's butt, which was perfect in those jeans. At that moment, he didn't know if he was hungrier for the chicken or for that bum. Shaking his head, he silently warned himself that this was their first date and that he shouldn't dare to think that far.

"I hope you're hungry," he heard Baekhyun's voice and the rustle of the bags. "If I remember correctly, you mentioned that you can't eat anything spicy. The Ajumma from the booth has ensured that the marinated chicken legs are not too spicy. The rest are just fried. Spicy, but not too hot. And since chicken without beer is weird, I bought a pack for you and one for me. However, my beer is non-alcoholic. I can't allow myself to get drunk on our first date like when we first met,” Baekhyun babbled as he spread out his exploits on the kitchen counter.

Chanyeol had stopped next to him, watching him unpack. It smelled delicious, but that was secondary. "You called me babe."

"Mhm, yes I did," the older grumbled and turned to him.

"Why?"

"I'm sorry. Did I step on your toes with that?” Baekhyun apologized immediately.

"No, no," Chanyeol said quickly. "It just came so unexpectedly."

"To be honest, it just slipped out. In my head I have been calling you this for a long time and have saved you like that in my contacts,” the doctor confessed with burning red ears.

"Cute," Chanyeol murmured before gripping Baekhyun's chin and kissing him. This time more than fleetingly. "By the way, I saved you under My Baby. Apparently, our heads work pretty similarly."

"Or hearts," Baekhyun corrected. "But before we eat, how is your foot? Have you been to a doctor?"

"No, I haven’t. I just put on a bandage,” Chanyeol admitted. This made Baekhyun roll his eyes.

"It's a good thing I brought something with me. Sit down! I'll take a closer look at your foot.” Determinedly he pushed Chanyeol towards the couch, while Toben stayed in front of the kitchen counter and watched the food from below.

"But you cut open corpses," whined Chanyeol.

“I do indeed, but before that I studied and practiced on living people. Even if I'm not an orthopaedic surgeon or sports doctor, I could feel out what’s wrong. Have a little more confidence in your boyfriend."

Chanyeol's heart stopped for a moment at the word boyfriend. But instead of saying something about it, he bit his lip. It was too early to give this a name and Baekhyun had probably just said it that way by accident. Nevertheless, he turned red and took off his white sock. He exposed his semi-professional attempt at a bandage, which Baekhyun only acknowledged with an insulting snort.

"What’s this supposed to be?"

"I thought I could support my ankle like this," Chanyeol murmured, embarrassed.

"But not with a gauze bandage," the doctor rolled his eyes and unwound the bandage. He carefully took Chanyeol’s foot in his hand and twisted it slightly to examine it better. Chanyeol's breath hitched a few times when he felt a sharp pain. "It is quite supple and not as swollen as I thought it would be," Baekhyun murmured, carefully probing further. "Did you cool it?" 

Chanyeol nodded.

"Hematoma on the ankle," sighed the doctor, carefully placing his foot on a pillow. "It's just a ligament stretch. It's painful, but it will heal in no time,” he winked at him and got up to get the other bag. "This can happen quickly when you bend your ankle. You should definitely try not to put too much strain on your foot and put it up for a few days. I'll make you a decent support bandage."

He took Voltaren ointment, compresses and an elastic pressure bandage out of the bag. While Baekhyun was treating him, the taller man could not take his eyes off him. The young doctor looked highly concentrated. His mouth was slightly open and the tip of his tongue flashed out between the lips at the corner of his mouth. Chanyeol's eyes kept moving between the doctor's face and his hands.

"Done!" announced the white-haired man and put the last clip on the bandage. "I hope it's not too tight."

But instead of answering Chanyeol pulled the smaller man over and started kissing him passionately. "Do you actually know how hot you look when you're concentrated?" he breathed heavily into the kiss.

"Not so far," gasped Baekhyun in surprise. "Usually my patients are dead and don't watch me when I’m working on with them."

"An absolute advantage for me. No competition and I don't have to be jealous,” Chanyeol mumbled against Baekhyun's lips, which made the other one laugh.

"So, you’re the jealous type?" asked the white-haired man, amused.

"Maybe. So far, I have never had reason to be jealous. But who knows how I’ll deal with it when others flirt with you,” pouted the younger man.  
Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something, but Toben barked once and reminded them that their food was getting cold. "We should eat before it’s no longer edible," Baekhyun suggested instead, getting up to get everything and spread it out on the coffee table. He also added a roll of kitchen towels that he had found on the counter.

"Hmmm, it smells really good," Chanyeol sighed and immediately snatched a piece of fried chicken. Baekhyun opened a can of beer and handed it to him before opening his own non-alcoholic version.

"Cheers to our first date," grinned the doctor, pushing his can against Chanyeol's.

Chanyeol did the same and took a sip. "Why did you actually get non-alcoholic beer? You did have alcohol on New Year's Eve."

"And we both know what happened afterwards," laughed the older.

"Are you still trying to prove to me that you're not just looking for sex?" Chanyeol grinned.

"No, not anymore. But if I have to work tomorrow, I don't want to have a hangover. Besides, my butt always gets hot when I'm drunk,” he shrugged innocently and nibbled the meat. The marinade made his lips redder than usual.

"Your butt gets hot when you're drunk?" Chanyeol laughs. "How come?"

"No idea. In any case, I don't want to have to take my pants off because of that. Would be embarrassing on the first date.” When Chanyeol just laughed to himself, he nudged him. "Don't pretend you don't have weird drunk habits."

"I always get such a craving for whipped cream," Chanyeol grinned, and Baekhyun didn't know if he was serious or if it was an allusion to something completely different.

"I hope you mean the whipped cream that you put on ice cream, strawberries or cake."

"Who knows, who knows," the younger man whistled and winked at him.  
For a while they talked about Baekhyun's mysterious suicides, which he still had on the dissection table regularly. After a month, the police still hadn't figured out who or what was behind it. At least there was only around one case per week now. Chanyeol could see that all of this was causing the doctor a headache, so he tried to change the subject pretty quickly, but Baekhyun beat him to it.

"We only ever talk about my job. Tell me something about yours,” he asked the younger one.

"Well, there isn't really much to tell about it," Chanyeol muttered, wiping his mouth with a kitchen towel.

"What inspired you to study? Seeing you like this, one would never guess that you studied art. One would rather think that you are the art."

Chanyeol laughed and stroked his hair. "I am art?"

"Yes, your physique, your face, your voice. The body of a Greek statue, a perfectly symmetrical face and a voice that is like music to the ears,” explained Baekhyun.

"I resent the Greek statue comparison. Have you seen how small their dicks are?” Chanyeol pouted indignantly and Baekhyun laughed out loud. "And most of them break off too."

"Okay, okay... apart from that," Baekhyun chuckled and wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes.

“I studied it because I just love to draw. I am not the greatest painter and I have absolutely no talent for painting with oil, acrylic or even water colours. But I was always good at drawing, especially comics or mangas. I even studied interior design for a few semesters but stopped when I went into the military. Sometimes I think about picking it up again. A second source of income might not be bad if I have no inspiration for a new story.”

"But you could certainly also illustrate, right?" Baekhyun asked.

"I think so, although I prefer to work freely without anyone telling me how it’s supposed to look.”

"Do you have a role model?" Baekhyun wanted to know and opened the second can of beer. Chanyeol did the same.

"Andy Warhol."

"Oh, pop art," Baekhyun nodded knowingly.

"Not exclusively. Abstract expressionism, modern art, contemporary art, naive art. All of that is included. My favourite picture of him is not even pop art. He was also a graphic artist and magazine illustrator. And I think Dalí is great, too."

"Surrealism, expressionism, post-impressionism. Wasn't he also a graphic artist?"

Chanyeol nodded enthusiastically at Baekhyun’s knowledge. "Yes, just like Picasso."

"Ahhh, I see a pattern here," Baekhyun grinned wryly and Chanyeol's cheeks turned pink. "Visiting a museum is definitely going to be fun with you."

"And you? Have you always wanted to be a doctor?"

Baekhyun actually had to think about it briefly. "I think so. However, I wanted to be a veterinarian first."

"And how did you come to work as a coroner?"

"I don't like patients who could sue me for malpractice," he joked before quickly becoming serious again. "To be honest, I don't really know. Maybe I'm afraid that I would let myself be too controlled by emotions. Imagine you are treating a small child, you spend a lot of time with them, you get to know them, you may even see how they get older and then... then they die despite all efforts. Or a grandma who has told you her life story over the past few days. You're the only one she ever gets to see because she doesn't have family and then she dies. I just don't think I could. I work with dead people, but I don't want to see them die. Do you understand what I mean?” Towards the end his voice had gotten thinner. "I hate to see people suffering."

Chanyeol took his hand and squeezed it lightly. "And I thought you just wanted a job where you could always keep your beer cold," he tried to ease the mood and it worked when the older man's mouth twitched up again.

"But only non-alcoholic beer. We don't want me to see things that aren't there,” he winked.

"Or missing some that are," Chanyeol smiled, pulling Baekhyun's hand to his mouth so he could kiss it on the back.

Baekhyun flushed and pulled his hand out of Chanyeol's grip. All of this was so new to him and he just didn't know how to respond appropriately. So, he preferred to distract his heart from fluttering. “Does Toben need to go out again?"

"Yeah, actually," Chanyeol murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I can do it," the doctor offered.

"And how do I know you’re not just taking my dog and leave?"

"Because I promised," Baekhyun laughed softly. "I don't break my promises. Also, I’ll only walk around the block once so the little one can relieve himself and will hopefully not bother us later.”

"All right," the younger man gave up. "But if you’re not back in 20 minutes, I'll hunt you down."

Baekhyun got up from the couch, laughing. "With that foot? Good luck, then."  
When he started sulking, Baekhyun patted his head. "Don't worry, I'll hurry."

While Baekhyun was taking a walk around the block, Chanyeol cleared the remains of their dinner and waited patiently for his puppies to return. And as promised, the doorbell rang again less than 20 minutes later, announcing Baekhyun's return.

"He did his business. Number one and two,” giggled the white-haired man as he unleashed the poodle. "We should probably be left alone for the next few hours."

"Hours? Wow Byun. How long are you going to stay here?” Chanyeol joked and took the leash to hang it back in its place.

"Until you kick me out. Or I get a call that I am needed at work,” he shrugged.  
"That means you'd want to sleep here, too?" Chanyeol smiled broadly, taking his hand and leading him back into the living room.

"If it gets very late and you let me," Baekhyun murmured. "The couch is very comfortable."

"Pfffff, as if I would let you sleep on the couch. There is room for two in my bed. Do you want to play a few rounds?"

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol's Nintendo and got a controller pushed directly into his hands. "What are we playing?"

"Mario Kart. I've already prepared everything."

"A classic," grinned Baekhyun. "And I'm a master at it."

"Would’ve been surprised if not," Chanyeol snorted, amused. "Is there anything you are not good at?"

"Cooking," the doctor murmured.

"Okay, no problem. I can do that in our relationship,” said the taller man proudly.

"Okay, what does the loser have to do?" Baekhyun asked excitedly.

"Oh, you want to sweeten the competition a little," laughed Chanyeol. "The loser has to confess something embarrassing to the winner."

“Deal, babe! Think about what you want to confess to me.” With a smug grin, Baekhyun held out his hand.

"Deal, baby!" 

Chanyeol grinned back and they started their infinite rounds of Mario Kart. They played until they had gotten through all the 16 tracks. None of them played fair and they tried to hinder each other by nudging, bumping into, or reaching into the other's controller. Their loud laughter and roars could be heard down the hall, but none of the neighbours seemed to mind. Toben only snorted in annoyance from time to time and slipped his head between two pillows that were lying on the couch behind Baekhyun. In the end, Baekhyun won 10 of 16 rounds and was the day’s winner.

"Okay, I'm all ears. What do you want to confess to me?” Baekhyun leaned back calmly and looked at Chanyeol with expectant eyes. The other one looked anything but calm.

"Okay, I hope what I tell you now won't change your mind about me," Chanyeol sighed. "I'm a so-called fuckboy. Or rather, I was one before I had to go to the military.” 

He paused as Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, but the other said nothing and remained silent as a sign that he should keep talking. “In my youth I didn't let any opportunity go past. I happily fucked around. No matter if girl or boy. I took what I wanted to have. When I was 20, I developed a taste for boys. I barely let women come to me unless I really needed it. I never cared about other people's feelings until I fell in love. He was Chinese and pretty. And he was the only one I allowed to top me. But he played with me as revenge for the fact that I had once used his sister. I deserved it,” he sighed. “I had sworn to improve and the time in the military clearly helped me with that. That's why I blocked you on New Year's Eve. I didn't want to have meaningless sex anymore. It's like double protection. I protect myself from potentially getting hurt and the other person from me. Because I'm afraid to fall back into my old patterns."

"Mhhmm," was the only sound Baekhyun offered in reply.

"Aren't you shocked?" Chanyeol asked in surprise.

"Not really," Baekhyun replied quietly. "Because I already knew that. Kyungsoo told me because he wanted to make sure I didn't hurt you and I understand why you didn't just take me. When he said it to me, I really couldn't believe it because I got to know you very differently and yes, I was a bit shocked, but that's your past. You can’t shake it off. What is done, is done. Now only the present matters and the future we want to have together. Of course, I wonder why you want me right now and whether you really like me.”

“Of course, I like you,” Chanyeol blurted out. “It’s fun to be with you. You’re smart. You’re funny. You are so beautiful and very cute. You are different and crazy. You are perfect in an imperfect way. You always speak your thoughts and you have the best laugh. Of course, I like you. You are you. I always think of you before I fall asleep. The words you said, what you looked like. The things we laughed at and the quiet moments we shared. And when I dream, I dream about you. Because it’s about you, it’s always just about you. And your brown eyes shine brighter than any city ever could. I could talk to you for hours and never get tired of your voice or laughter. I could never get tired of seeing your smile. I could never get tired of you at all. Speaking about your smile… it’s really the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Baekhyun sat speechlessly and wide-eyed in front of Chanyeol who had just laid out his entire emotional life in front of him. The younger had confessed to him just so much more than he probably intended. And all this information overwhelmed him a little.

“Sometimes I wish I could read your mind so I can find out what you really feel for me,” Chanyeol murmured when he didn’t get an answer from him, and this shook him out of his rigidity.

“The truth?” he asked softly and Chanyeol nodded.

“I like you. A lot! You make me happy. You make me laugh. You are smarter than you think, and you are different from everyone else who wanted to be with me. You’re a little crazy and embarrassing, but I think that’s great. And your smile alone makes my day better.”

“Really?” Chanyeol asked incredulously.

“Yes,” breathed Baekhyun, biting his lower lip. They had come closer without realizing it. Chanyeol’s eyes fell on Baekhyun’s mouth and he breathed in, trembling as he stared at how the white teeth worked on his lower lip.

“Don’t bite your lip,” Chanyeol breathed in a deep voice. “I want to do it.”

Baekhyun immediately released his lower lip just so Chanyeol’s lips could seize his. He greedily kissed him, bit his lower lip, nibbled on it until Baekhyun brushed his teeth with the tip of his tongue. This was the clear invitation he wanted from the other. Grasping at the back of Baekhyun’s head with one hand, he ran the other over Baekhyun’s chest to his stomach. He paused at the hem of the t-shirt and waited patiently for a reaction from Baekhyun, who released himself from the kiss, breathing heavily.

“Mine for yours,” he gasped, also reaching for the hem of Chanyeol’s shirt.

“Good deal,” the taller grinned wryly and stretched his arms up so that Baekhyun could pull the shirt over his head. “Your turn!”

The doctor bravely raised his arms and let Chanyeol take his shirt off. Their eyes wandered hungrily over each other and when Baekhyun bit his lower lip again, Chanyeol’s thumb freed the already slightly reddened and swollen lip from the straight, white teeth of the other. “I told you not to bite it.”

“Maybe I’m doing it for a reason,” Baekhyun murmured before challenging him with a wry grin. And Chanyeol was someone who would never turn his back on a challenge. With both hands he gripped his head and kissed him more passionately than ever. With a sigh, the white-haired man sank further back and Chanyeol followed the movement so that he was bent over the smaller one.

“Touch me!” He ordered Baekhyun, who immediately ran his hands over his muscular back. And although he had asked for this touch, he trembled under his hands. “Fuck, Baekhyun!” He grumbled into the kiss before breathing away from him. If he didn’t stop himself and Baekhyun, their first date would end with sex. But the older man didn’t think much of it, straightened up a little and let his lips stroke his neck.

The younger man’s eyes closed automatically. “If you kiss my neck now, I can’t be held responsible for what’s going to happen next,” Chanyeol growled between his teeth. Baekhyun actually paused and grinned against the thin skin on his neck before pursing his lips and spreading feather-light kisses along his carotid artery.

The sound Chanyeol made was a mixture of a groan and growl, and it shot directly into Baekhyun’s abdomen that he was pressing against Chanyeols.  
Rough hands gripped Baekhyun’s waist to hold him even closer. “I want you! Stop it!”

“That contradicts itself, Park,” Baekhyun laughed against the Chanyeol’s neck, but took a deep breath when he felt the other’s excitement against his own. “And what happened to ‘no sex without feelings’?”

“I thought it I made it clear that I feel more for you than just friendship. I want you so much! But…”

“Then take me,” Baekhyun interrupted.

“What about ‘no sex on the first date’?” Chanyeol reminded him of the words he had uttered the last time they met.

“No longer valid,” the older mumbled, kissing back the full, sweet lips in front of him. “Do what you want with me. Vanilla or in your old fuckboy manner, the main thing is that you finally take me. Just not here on the couch. I think we’d disturb Toben.”

Chanyeol actually dared to take a quick look at his dog, who was sitting in the other corner of the couch and giving them a disapproving look, which in dog language probably meant something like “fuck somewhere else, but not on my bed”. 

“You could be right,” he murmured. “However, I did not expect we’d go that far and therefore don’t have a single condom in the house.”

“Do you have lubricant?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“That’s enough, then. You’ve been tested in the military and haven’t had relations with anyone since. I am also regularly tested as a doctor. We should be on the safe side, right?”

Chanyeol nodded in surprise. “It would be my first time.” When Baekhyun’s eyebrows went up, he made it clearer. “Without condom. I’ve never had sex without a condom before.”

“Wow, I’m actually your first time on one thing,” Baekhyun grinned proudly. “Soooo… do you want…”

Before he could finish the sentence, Chanyeol jumped up and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him off the couch. “Follow me to my bedchambers,” Chanyeol grinned wryly and pulled him up the stairs to his bedroom.

*

The fingertips barely touched the skin as they lazily traced the lines of the tattoo. The touches were so gentle, so tender, hardly noticeable. Despite everything, Chanyeol got goose bumps. He lay behind Baekhyun, the smaller one was pressed into his arms and his nose was buried in the hair at the back of his neck. Their legs were entwined and while Chanyeol was playing with Baekhyun's fingers, the older man used his free hand to trace Chanyeol's tattoo on his arm, which was loosely wrapped around his waist. Their bodies were still heated and slightly damp with sweat. The third round had been the most intense. While the first two had been anything but vanilla, the third had been the best example of long, slow, passionate sex. Again, and again they had delayed their climaxes until Baekhyun became so sensitive that he could not stand it any longer and was almost delirious with Chanyeol. Then they’d exchanged deep kisses and cleaned themselves roughly until they finally found themselves in this position.

It had been hours since they’d left the couch in favour of the bed. At least it felt like it, and it had to be in the middle of the night. From the bed, they could see a few of the shops' illuminated signs through the window, as well as the bright streetlamps. This light source illuminated Chanyeol's apartment to the extent that he could clearly see the outlines of his bed companion.

"Tired?" the younger murmured into Baekhyun's hair.

"I would be lying if I said no," the doctor yawned loudly. "That was... especially the last time, that was..."

"Good?" he interrupted, grinning.

"It was WOW! And it really tipped me over the edge,” Baekhyun laughed throatily. His voice had become quite rough from their recent activities.

"I was amazed that your groans weren't higher or shriller. My ears were very relieved,” Chanyeol smiled and gave him a kiss on the back of the neck.

"I honestly never thought about how I sound during sex," laughed the older man.

"You sound very sexy and you look even sexier," Chanyeol whispered, intertwining his fingers with Baekhyun’s.

"Was it okay for you? Was I good for you..."

"More than okay," Chanyeol interrupted quickly. "You were... you are great and I can't get enough of you."

"Liar," Baekhyun smiled before yawning again.

"Yah, I'm not lying," Chanyeol pouted.

"I know," Baekhyun murmured, turning in the larger man's arms.

"But are you okay? Anything hurting? Do you feel uncomfortable? I wasn't too rough with you, was I?” Chanyeol's questions gushed out as their eyes met.

"Everything’s great. I just want to lie on your chest and listen to your heart,” Baekhyun smiled.

"O-okay," Chanyeol stammered in surprise, but rolled onto his back and allowed Baekhyun to get comfortable on him. When Baekhyun had found the desired position and his ear was pressed against Chanyeol's chest, the taller man wrapped his arms around him.

"Your heartbeat is too fast for a resting pulse," Baekhyun murmured sleepily.

"Your fault," Chanyeol mumbled.

"I can live with the guilt." The doctor's voice grew lower and lower. A sign that he was about to fall asleep. Due to their phone calls over the past few weeks, this was not unknown to the artist and he closed his eyes himself.

"Hey Baek?"

"Hm?"

“I noticed you in the kitchen back then. You leaned against the counter and drank a beer. You were the only one who didn't say anything at the time. You were just staring and yet it already knew,” Chanyeol whispered.

"Who knew what?" The irritation was heard in Baekhyun's voice despite being tired.

"My soul. It had seen you and it was as if it was saying: ‘Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.’ What I'm saying is that my eyes saw you, but damn, my soul felt you."

"Oh god, that’s the cheesiest thing I've ever heard," Baekhyun murmured, but the position of his head on his bare chest made Chanyeol feel that the corner of his mouth rose to a smile.

"But you like it," grinned the younger one and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

"Apparently so." That was the last thing he said before he finally fell asleep.

*

When he woke up, Chanyeol immediately felt that something was missing. He had fallen asleep with a weight on his chest and a body in his arms, but that was gone. Just like the warmth it had provided. With half-opened eyes, he scanned the empty place next to him. The sheet was crumpled, and the mattress was still warm. Blinking, he opened his eyes completely. The sun was just coming up, so it had to be very early in the morning. This in turn meant that he had hardly slept. Maybe two or three hours. However, he suddenly woke up when he realized that he was actually alone in bed. 

Where was Baekhyun? Had he just left? Had the night meant nothing to him? Was he a master in acting and just pretended everything? Had he really fallen for it and had gotten his heart broken again? He felt sick and felt a sharp pain in his chest. Was it perhaps his fault? Had he scared him away? Had he become too clingy and cheesy? Or had his past thwarted him?

He lay there lifeless in bed, staring at the ceiling and feeling sorry for himself until Toben started barking. With a sigh he got up to check on his dog. When he took the first step, he felt a sharp pain in his foot. He had almost forgotten about his bent ankle. He limped down the stairs with his teeth clenched. 

He hadn't even finished half the stairs when he smelled it. It smelled burned. Had Baekhyun set a fire to say goodbye? Forgetting the pain, he hurried downstairs and paused in the living room when he saw someone standing in the half-dark in his kitchen.

"Psssst Tobinnie, otherwise we'll wake up your Appa," a voice hissed softly and Chanyeol scratched his neck in surprise.  
"Baekhyun-ah, what are you doing? And what smells so burned here?"

Startled, the person rose up and gave him an apologetic look. "I woke up and was hungry. I thought I could make toast, but... "

"You burned the toast?" Chanyeol laughed in amusement and stepped closer.

In the dim light from the extractor hood above his stove, he could see that Baekhyun was wearing a T-shirt that he must have pulled from his pile of clothes from the bedroom floor. It was far too big for him and reached down to the middle of his full thighs. 

"And I thought you had left me," he sighed, hugging the smaller one tightly.

"Huh?" Irritated, Baekhyun let it happen and after a short hesitation, he also put his arms around the taller one. "Why should I have left you? And why are you naked? Not that I’m complaining."

"I thought you had left because it was just a one-night stand for you. And since I thought I was alone, I didn't bother to put anything on,” Chanyeol said. "I often walk around naked in my apartment."

Baekhyun pressed his hands against Chanyeol's chest and pushed him away, only to punch him on the arm and look at him reproachfully. "Haven't I made it clear enough that I want more? My heart is yours... and my butt. "

Although Chanyeol wanted to pout at the blow to his arm, he still had to laugh out loud at Baekhyun's confession. "Your romantic streak hits me right in the heart, Byun. Does that mean we're a couple?"

The doctor shrugged, embarrassed. "I don’t know. We had our date. Had sex. Three times. You tell me."

With a big grin, Chanyeol pushed the smaller one against the kitchen counter with his body and supported himself with his hands to his right and left. He held the white-haired man between his body and the counter. Baekhyun swallowed hard and held his breath as the taller leaned down to kiss his neck.

"Stop teasing me," Baekhyun asked in a shaky voice.  
"You were crazy for it last night," Chanyeol chuckled. "Should I prepare something for you to eat? Anything better than toast?"

"Yes please," murmured the smaller one, biting his lower lip to keep from sighing.

"Okay," Chanyeol grinned, pushing himself off the kitchenette. "Eggs and bacon?"

Baekhyun nodded slowly. "But can you please get dressed? Cooking naked can be dangerous. I still need this.” To clarify his words, he grabbed Chanyeol in the crotch, who widened his eyes in alarm before he started to laugh.

"All right. But take your hand away, otherwise I'll stuff you with something else."

"Uhh, naughty," Baekhyun whispered with a raised eyebrow, but let him go. "But I'm really hungry." To back up his words, his stomach growled.

"I'm getting dressed. I'll be right back.” Smiling, he kissed the other's lips and hobbled off.

With a sigh, Baekhyun watched him go and made a mental note to look after Chanyeol's foot after their early breakfast. While the other got dressed in the bedroom, Baekhyun wandered through the small apartment and stopped at the only place he hadn't looked at the previous evening. Chanyeol's desk. His workplace was messy and Baekhyun wondered how it was possible to work in this mess. His eyes scanned the table without touching anything. He didn't want to snoop around, either. But when he saw something that looked familiar from the corner of his eye, he reached for it. It was a sketch. And underneath was another and another and another. And it always showed the same person. Taeyang from the Webtoon Butterfly Effect. The webtoon that had been around for three months and whose main character looked like him. He had always found this coincidence strange, especially when Taeyang had changed his hair colour to white shortly after he had dyed his hair white.

Had Chanyeol just copied the character or... was he the creator? When he heard footsteps behind him, he turned with the sketch in his hand and held it directly in front of Chanyeol's nose without saying anything. In a matter of seconds, all the colour left Chanyeol's face. His eyes opened wide, and he started to stutter. "Uhm ... yes ... I ... can ... I can ... explain that."

"I'm all ears." Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol, who was standing in front of him in a T-shirt and boxer shorts. "Is that me? Are you the artist behind Butterfly Effect? "

"Yes," Chanyeol breathed. "I'm Loey and yes, Taeyang is based on you. I got the idea for this story after we got to know each other and I couldn't get you out of my head and all attempts to draw the main character ended up in the fact that it always looked like you. I know I should have asked for your consent, but I didn't know if I would see you again so quickly. When I presented the story at Line, I couldn't count on them agreeing to it, after all I'm a newcomer and then it's a BL story with an even more unusual storyline. But they wanted the story as quickly as possible and I got straight to it. I did not expect success, either. When you mentioned my webtoon, I thought you had figured it out.”

"You've had enough opportunities to tell me so far," Baekhyun sighed. He wasn't angry. Not in the slightest. But he couldn't deny that Chanyeol's silence hurt him.

"I didn't dare," the younger man admitted.

"Were you afraid I would sue you? Or find you creepy?"

"Yes, and that you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me anymore." Chanyeol's voice was nothing more than a breath.

With a deep sigh, Baekhyun looked at the drawing in his hand. "Do you really see me that way? Do I look like that in your eyes?"

"No." Chanyeol shook his head. "You are much prettier, but I am not talented enough to portray your beauty as I see it."

Baekhyun looked up at him with a grin. "You're too cute."

"And you think it's great. Your grin betrays you.” Chanyeol nudged the right corner of Baekhyun’s mouth with his finger.

"I never said anything else," the doctor continued to grin.

"Are you mad at me now?"

"No!"

"So, you won't sue me?"

"No!" The older man laughed.

"And you don't find me creepy either?"

"Just cheesy and maybe a little embarrassing," Baekhyun smiled as Chanyeol pouted. "Come here, you jerk!" He grabbed his collar and pulled him down to kiss him.

Chanyeol gasped into the kiss. Had he expected this reaction from the doctor, he would have told him earlier. As they deepened the kiss, Chanyeol pushed Baekhyun against his desk. When he bumped against the tabletop, Chanyeol hoisted him up and set him down on it. He ran his hands over Baekhyun's thighs to his knees before spreading his legs so he could stand between them.  
Baekhyun smiled into the kiss when two big hands grabbed his legs again and made him wrap them around Chanyeol's waist and from there they slipped under the borrowed T-shirt. To the younger one’s delight, he was wearing nothing under the said T-shirt. 

"I think I want to be stuffed with something else," he murmured against Chanyeol's lips and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Anything you want, baby," Chanyeol whispered. "But not on my workplace." He jerked the smaller one up and carried him to the couch, where he sat down with is boyfriend in his lap.

"Your foot," the doctor reminded him of his injury.

"The adrenalin stops me from feeling any pain right now," Chanyeol assured him and licked the older man's lips before they continued to kiss passionately. It wasn't until Baekhyun's cell phone started ringing that Chanyeol broke the kiss and turned his head in the direction of the noise.

"Waaeee?" whined Baekhyun, clutching Chanyeol's head and trying to turn him back.

"Your cellphone!"

"Just ignore it," Baekhyun said, kissing his jaw. "We're far from finished here."

"But maybe it's important," Chanyeol sighed. "Who else should call you at six in the morning?"

The doctor leaned back with a groan. "Did you really have to remind me that I have obligations?"

"Sorry," Chanyeol grinned wryly and let go of him so that he could get up from his lap.

As the doctor ran to his cell phone, he pulled the fabric of the shirt back over his most intimate places. Still, Chanyeol caught a glimpse of his love bite from the night before on Baekhyun's right buttock. His grin widened as he thought of where else he had been on Baekhyun's body. However, the fantasies collapsed when Baekhyun frowned at him.

“No breakfast. A body in Itaewon,” sighed the doctor softly.

Chanyeol got up from the couch. "Okay, I'm going to take you there. I won't let you go alone by train or bus through Seoul this early in the morning.”

"What do you think I’d do if you weren’t here?" Baekhyun laughed dryly.

"You don't have to do that while I'm with you," Chanyeol answered firmly. "Get dressed."

Three quarters of an hour later, Chanyeol stopped near the crime scene. He couldn't get any closer because the police had blocked the entrance to the street.

"Thanks for driving," Baekhyun thanked him as he unbuckled himself. "In any case, I did get here faster."

"I preferred it that way," Chanyeol smiled at him.

"I’ll call you when I'm done here. Maybe we can have lunch instead of breakfast.”

"You don't have to be so stressed about me."

"Who says it stresses me? May I not call my boyfriend and spend time with him?"

"I... I have to get used to the fact that we... that I'm your boyfriend and not just a friend," Chanyeol murmured almost as in shame.

"Exactly, you are the BOYfriend. You'll get used to it, babe.” With a satisfied grin, Baekhyun leaned over and kissed him goodbye. "See you later,"  
he whispered before getting out of the car and running to the house where the police cars were.

Kyungsoo was leaning against one of the cars, taking the last puffs of his cigarette. "Oh, Doctor Byun, I have the honour of working with you today."

"Good morning Kyungsoo. Yes, looks like it," Baekhyun greeted the investigator and yawned extensively.

"Did we wake you up?"

"No, I was already awake. Chanyeol was about to make breakfast for me,” the doctor said.

"Oh, that's why you look so thoroughly fucked," grinned the black-haired man and laughed deeply when his co-worker turned red.

"Do I look like that so much?"

Kyungsoo stepped closer and tried to tame the wild white mess with his hands. "Maybe you should have combed your hair. And you could have covered the hickey, too."

"Fuck!" Baekhyun cursed, which only made the investigator laugh more.

"It was about time!"


End file.
